Welcome to Tech Supports

2011-12-21T17:10:00.000+05:30

Back-up is the operation done to prevent data loss. The principle is to make copies of particular data in order to use those copies for restoring the information if a failure occurred (a data loss event due to deletion, corruption, theft etc.). The back-up can be done manually (copying the data to a different location) or automatically using a backup program, such as Backup4all which you can easily download below (opens in new window so you can still continue reading the article):

Each program has its own approach in executing the backup, but there are four common backup types implemented and generally used in most of these programs: full backup, differential backup, incremental backup and mirror backup. A type of backup actually defines how the data is copied from the source to the destination and lays the grounds of a data repository model (how the back-up is stored and structured).

The image below provides an overview comparison between these backup types, for detailed information about each read the rest of the article:

Full backup

Full backup is the starting point for all other types of backup and contains all the data in the folders and files that are selected to be backed up. Because full backup stores all files and folders, frequent full backups result in faster and simpler restore operations. Remember that when you choose other backup types, restore jobs may take longer. As an example, for a full backup job that runs four times the representation below is conclusive on how the backed up data will grow with every run:

Since this is the foundation of all other backup types, a detailed article explains it thoroughly: What is full backup?

Differential backup

Differential backup contains all files that have changed since the last FULL backup. The advantage of a differential backup is that it shortens restore time compared to a full backup or an incremental backup. However, if you perform the differential backup too many times, the size of the differential backup might grow to be larger than the baseline full backup. In the image below you can see an example on how a differential backup would look like for a backup job that runs four times:

Read the differential backup page for more details.

Incremental backup

Incremental backup stores all files that have changed since the last FULL, DIFFERENTIAL OR INCREMENTAL backup. The advantage of an incremental backup is that it takes the least time to complete. However, during a restore operation, each incremental backup must be processed, which could result in a lengthy restore job. The representation below shows how a backup job running four times would look like when using incremental:

This is one of the most popular backup types, you can find more about it and how to use incremental in a backup strategy here: incremental backups.

Mirror backup

Mirror backup is identical to a full backup, with the exception that the files are not compressed in zip files and they can not be protected with a password. A mirror backup is most frequently used to create an exact copy of the source data. It has the benefit that the backup files can also be readily accessed using tools like Windows Explorer. The image below shows how a mirror backup job would look after four iterations (first mirror will back-up everything, subsequent fast mirror backups will back-up only new/modified files):

Source: http://www.backup4all.com/kb/backup-types-115.html

How to Make Firefox Really Fast Tutorial & Pics

2010-09-20T07:43:00.001+05:30

Fast loading web pages while surfing the Internet may have more to do with your web browser settings[/URL] and preferences than your Internet connection speed.
Try these easy Firefox tweaks and you'll see that you're surfing the Internet from 3 to 30 times faster!

To get started, open your Firefox web browser. In the address/location bar type [about:config] and then press your Enter key. (NOTE: DON'T TYPE THE BRACKETS.)

Tweak #1:

In the Filter bar type [network.http.pipelining]. Then, double-click on this line under Preference Name in order to change the value from false to true.

Tweak #2:

In the Filter bar type [network.http.pipelining.maxrequests]. Then, double-click on this line under Preference Name and change the value from 4 to a higher number anywhere from 10 to 30. I set mine to 30.

Tweak #3:

In the Filter bar type [network.http.proxy.pipelining]. Then, double-click on this line under Preference Name in order to change the value from false to true.

Tweak #4:

In the Filter bar type [network.dns.disableIPv6]. Then, double-click on this line under Preference Name in order to change the value from false to true.

Tweak #5:

In the Filter bar type [plugin.expose_full_path]. Then, double-click on this line under Preference Name in order to change the value from false to true.

Tweak #6:

In the Filter bar type [network.protocol-handler.external.ms-help]. Now, you are going to create a new Preference Name with an Integer Value. To do this, right-click on this line under Preference Name and select New, then Integer.

In the New Integer value box type in [nglayout.initialpaint.delay] and click OK. Then in the Enter Integer value box type [0] (that's a zero) and click OK.

Tweak #7:

In the Filter bar again type [network.protocol-handler.external.ms-help]. Now, you are going to create another new Preference Name with an Integer Value. To do this, right-click on this line under Preference Name and select New, then Integer. In the New Integer value box type in [content.notify.backoffcount] and click OK. Then in the Enter Integer value box type [5] and click OK.

Tweak #8:

In the Filter bar again type [network.protocol-handler.external.ms-help]. Now, you are going to create another new Preference Name with an Integer Value. To do this, right-click on this line under Preference Name and select New, then Integer. In the New Integer value box type in [ui.submenuDelay] and click OK. Then in the Enter Integer value box type [0] (that's a zero) and click OK.

Now, close your web browser and restart it. You'll see how much faster web pages are loading. I sure did.
Let me know if these tweaks increase your Internet browsing speed. Know of any other tweaks or tricks? Let me know and I'll add them.

Credit Goes to Original Post.

FAQ about video formats

2010-07-30T22:38:00.000+05:30

1. What is x264?

x264 is an open-source encoder for the H.264 codec used for High-Definition movies on HD-DVDs and Blu-Ray Discs. It has a high compression which is way superior to xvid. That means you get more quality at equal bitrates. A 700MB x264 rip will be sharper and more detailed than a 700MB xvid rip from the same source. x264 is the future in DVDrips!

02. What is a .mkv file?

MKV means "matroska video" and it is a "extensible open standard Audio/Video container" (AVI is a container, too!). This file format combines several videostreams, audiostreams, subtitles, chapters and information in only one file. It supports new standards like 6-channel AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) audio or x264 video.

Blue Screen of Death Survival Guide: Every Error Explained

2010-06-18T23:44:00.001+05:30

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Picture this: It's late at night, you're sitting at your computer playing a game or working on a project when, suddenly, Windows freezes completely. All your work is gone, and you find a blue screen full of gibberish staring back at you. Windows is dead, Jim, at least until you reboot it. You have no choice but to sigh loudly, shake your fist at Bill Gates and angrily push the reset button. You've just been visited by the ghost of windows crashed: the Blue Screen of Death.

(IMAGE: http://www.maximumpc.com/files/u69/BSOD_PCs.png)

Also known as the BSoD, the Blue Screen of Death appears when Windows crashes or locks up. It's actually a Windows "stop" screen, and is designed to do two things: tell you the reason for the error, and to calm your nerves, hence the use of the color blue (studies show it has a relaxing effect on people). Though Blue Screens are difficult to decipher, all the information you need to figure out what caused it is right there in front of you in blue and white — and that's where we come in. We're going to show you how to dissect the blue screen error details, so you can fix the problem that's causing them.

BSoD 101: A Crash Course

(IMAGE: http://www.maximumpc.com/files/u69/BSOD_Main.png)

Error Name

There are many parts to a BSOD, but the most important is right at the top. The actual name of the error is presented in all caps with an underscore between each word. In some cases this will be all that's needed to get to the root of the problem (thanks to the handy guide you are about to read). Most of the time, however, more information will be required.

Troubleshooting Advice

Nearly every BSOD includes a portion of text with some basic troubleshooting advice, the first of which recommends restarting your computer. Gee, thanks for the tip Microsoft. Before you restart, copy the exact all-caps error code and hexadecimal values shown above and below this portion of generic text. The next paragraph provides sound advice, alerting the user to check to make sure their hardware is installed properly, or to undo any recent software or hardware upgrades.

Memory Dump

Every BSOD is accompanied by a memory dump. What this means is when Windows crashes, it dumps whatever it is holding in system memory to a file, and saves the file on your hard drive for debugging purposes. If you contact Microsoft for technical assistance, they'll want to know the contents of this file.

Stop Code

The "technical information" section portion contains the actual Windows stop code, in oh-so-easy-to-read hexadecimal form. Despite appearing unintelligible at first glance, this combination of numbers and letters is instrumental in determining the cause of the crash. Pay particular attention to the first set of numbers and letters. It precedes the other four, which are enclosed in parenthesis. If a specific driver is associated with the crash, it will be listed on the very next line.

I Run Vista, so I'm Immune to BSODs, Right?

Unfortunately, no. A common misconception is that blue screens don't even exist in Vista, but not only are they still there, but we're here to tell you we've seen them first hand. The good news is Microsoft put a lot of work into how Vista handles critical errors and other glitches that in previous OSes would cause a system crash. Most of the time, if a problem occurs, Vista will attempt to fix the problem without any interruption. For example, if your videocard crashes, you may see a messge saying "Display driver stopped responding and has recovered." In XP and previous OSes, this almost always would have resulted in a system crash.

(IMAGE: http://www.maximumpc.com/files/u69/BSOD_Recovered.png)

In some cases, Vista will be unable recover on its own, and the result is a blue screen. By default, Vista will reboot itself after briefly flashing the blue screen. It happens so fast you might miss it, but once Windows reloads, you'll be greeted with an error message similar to the above. You can try clicking the 'Check for solution' button, just as you can try your hand playing the lotto. Neither one is likely to result in anything.

(IMAGE: http://www.maximumpc.com/files/u69/BSOD_Restart.png)

Instead, scroll down and take note of the blue screen codes. Armed with this information, you can perform your own detective work. Alternately, if you'd prefer to see the actual blue screen rather than automatically rebooting, right-click the My Computer icon on your desktop, select Properties, and click on Advanced System Settings. In the System Properties window that appears, select the Advanced tab, click Settings under Startup and Recovery, and uncheck the box that says 'Automatically Restart.' The same steps also apply to XP.

(IMAGE: http://www.maximumpc.com/files/u69/BSOD_Problems.png)

In another nod towards streamlining the troubleshooting process, Vista's Problem Reports and Solutions wizard can save you oodles of time in PC detective work, and may even alert you to potential conflicts you weren't even aware existed. You can find this applet by name in your Control Panel, or just type Problem Reports and Solutions in Vista's search box. Once loaded, click 'Check for new solutions' in the left-hand column. If Vista finds any conflicts, it will list them in the main window, along with any potential resolutions.

IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (0x0000000A)

(IMAGE: http://www.maximumpc.com/files/u69/BSOD_IRQL.png)

The most common cause of this conflict is improperly installed drivers for a piece of hardware you recently installed. For example, if you've installed a webcam two weeks ago, and have been getting BSoDs ever since, start your investigation with the webcam. First, disconnect the hardware, and uninstall the drivers for it completely. If that fixes the blue screen, you can search for updated drivers or contact the manufacturer.

If you haven't installed any new drivers recently, you'll need to do some more detective work. Start by examining the blue screen to see if it lists a specific driver. Looking at the blue screen, check the text at the very bottom of the screen. You'll probably see a file name. This is the driver that caused the problem. If, for example, the driver in question is named nv4_disp.dll (an nVidia-related file), and you've recently switched from an Nvidia videocard to an ATI part, then it's reasonable to assume that either the old driver was not uninstalled correctly, or the new drivers weren't properly installed.

Swapping Videocards

If you've narrowed your search of offending drivers down to those associated with your videocard, turn off the system, disconnect the power, and remove and reseat the videocard. Next, go into the BIOS (press F2 or Delete when your BIOS prompts you to do this, or consult your user manual or motherboard manufacturer's website) and check the bus speed for your videocard. We typically recommend leaving the PCI-E frequency set to Auto in the BIOS, but if you've overclocked your system, it can inadvertently knock the bus speed beyond a stable spec, which can cause blue screens. If that's the case, manually set your PCI-E frequency to 100MHz.

(IMAGE: http://www.maximumpc.com/files/u69/BSOD_Uninstall.png)

You're more like to experience this IRQL error when switching form one videocard brand to another, as the drivers will conflict with each other. The safe way to swap videocards is to completely remove all remnants of your old videocard drivers using a utility called -http://www.drivercleaner.net/ (Driver Cleaner)-, or the freebie alternative -http://downloads.guru3d.com/Guru3D---Driver-Sweeper-(Setup)_d1655.html (Driver Sweeper)-. To begin the process, open up your Control Panel, select Add or Remove Programs in XP or Programs and Features in Vista, highlight the videocard drivers, and click Uninstall. Reboot the computer, holding down the F8 key to enter safe mode. Run the Driver Cleaner utility to scrub away any remnants of the previous drivers that a typical uninstall overlooks. After you reboot, install the appropriate drivers for your new videocard.

Some Sound Advice

When the error is related to an audio driver, take note of the program that was running when the BSoD occurred. Make sure the offending application's sound options are configured correctly -- it's especially important that it uses the correct audio device -- and download any patches available that address known issues. You should update your soundcard's drivers as well.

(IMAGE: http://www.maximumpc.com/files/u69/BSOD_Soundcard.png)

If you're using an add-in soundcard, verify that the motherboard's onboard audio is disabled in the BIOS, so the two audio drivers don't conflict with each other.

Change Doctors

System services known to cause this error include virus scanners and backup utilities. We've had good luck sticking with the major players, such as AVG, Norton, Kaspersky, AntiVir, and Nod32 for our antivirus scanning, and Norton Ghost and Acronis TrueImage for backup duties. Do not run more than one antivirus application on your computer at the same time!

DATA_BUS_ERROR (0x0000002E)

(IMAGE: http://www.maximumpc.com/files/u69/RAM.png)

This is one of the easier BSoDs to diagnose, as faulty memory sticks are almost always to blame. If you get this error, think for a second: Are those DIMMs you just added compatible with your motherboard? Your motherboard manufacturer's website will have a list of specific brands verified to work with your particular board, although these are often incomplete.

(IMAGE: http://www.maximumpc.com/files/u69/BSOD_Memory_Slots.png)

Next, are they installed in the correct slots? Some motherboards are more finicky than others when it comes to proper slot placement, and the situation is compounded when dealing with a dual- or tri-channel board. Most motherboards that run dual-channel require that you install matching sets of RAM in the same-color slots, while others, such as some MSI boards, require that you install them in alternate slots. And if you have a Core i7 setup, you may need to install your RAM starting with the slot farthest from the CPU. When in doubt, RTFM.

Once you've verified that your RAM is installed correctly and is compatible with your motherboard, check to make sure they're running within spec. It's possible you may have set your memory's latency timings too aggressive, or maybe the sticks can't handle the frequency you're trying to run them at. Your BIOS could also mis-read the SPD settings. Whatever the case, look up the correct parameters for your RAM and try manually setting them in the BIOS.

(IMAGE: http://www.maximumpc.com/files/u69/BSOD_Memtest.png)

If the problem persists, the the problem is likely a bad stick. To find out which stick is bad you can simply remove one stick, then run your system for a while to see if the blue screens stop. Then swap the sticks and run your test again. If the machine blue screens with one stick, but not the other, you've found your culprit. You can also run a diagnostic program such as -http://www.memtest.org/ (Memtest86+)- to help determine which stick is defective. If you're running Vista, you can also use Microsoft's Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool. Type the name of the program in Vista's search box, and once selected, it will run the next time you reboot. Because most RAM sold today includes a lifetime warranty, be sure to check with your vendor before you toss out a bad stick.

NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM or FAT_FILE_SYSTEM (0x00000024 or 0x00000023)

While many blue screens can be traced back to a new hardware install or bad memory, this particular error screams in capital letters that something is fishy with your hard drive. The error that gets displayed depends on the file system your OS is using. In most cases, the file system will be NTFS. With really old systems, the error will read FAT16. If you get this error, be sure to do one thing immediately, before you even being to contemplate its cause: Back up your important data.

Call the Cable Guy

(IMAGE: http://www.maximumpc.com/files/u69/BSOD_SATA.png)

The easiest solutions are often the most overclocked, but they can also be the most effective. Checking your hard drive's cable connections falls into this category. SATA cables are notorious for working themselves loose -- we've had this happen to us on many occasions. If using a SATA drive, make sure you have only one power cable connected, not two (many SATA hard drives include a SATA power cable and a legacy four-pin connector). With a PATA drive, remove the ribbon cable and look for any bent or broken pins. Carefully line up the cable and push it securely into place. You might also have a bad cable, so if you have a space cable lying around -- one you know to be good -- swap it with the one in your PC.

Check Please!

(IMAGE: http://www.maximumpc.com/files/u69/BSOD_Chkdsk_0.png)

Now it's time to check your drive for errors. To do this, we'll first run a diagnostic scan. In XP, click Start, then Run, and type cmd. In Vista, simply type cmd in the Start Search box, then right-click cmd.exe and select Run as Administrator.. At the flashing command prompt, type chkdsk /f /r and reboot the system if prompted. The /f and /r switches attempt to fix file-system errors, then look for an mark any bad sectors before automatically rebooting when the scan completes.

Change Drivers

Even though we don't really think about hard drives as needing drivers, the controller's they're attached to most certainly do. A buggy SATA controller driver can wreak havoc on your data. Your motherboard's chipset drivers include specific drivers for the IDE/ATA controller tha the hard drives are connect to, so you'll need to install the latest version for your motherboard. To find your chipset drivers, you'll need to go to your motherboard manufacturer's website and search the support section, or head directly to your chipset manufacturer's website.

UNEXPECTED_KERNEL_MODE_TRAP (0x0000007F)

If you see this blue screen, you're probably overclocking your CPU, but this is not always the case. The 7F error is known to attack indiscriminately, lashing out at more than just overclockers. This particular BSoD can rear its head in response to bad RAM, a faulty motherboard, or a corrupted BIOS.

Overzealous Overclocking

If you've overclocked, the first thing you should do to isolate the problem (or any problem, for that matter) is to revert your overclocked components to their default speeds. If the blue screen goes away, then your overclock was too aggressive. The best way to ensure that your overclock is stable is to stress the hell out of your PC. To do this, many enthusiasts turn to the torture test named -http://www.mersenne.org/ (Prime95)-. This utility stressed your rig's CPU and memory subsystems. If any errors are found, it's a good indication that your system is not completely stable.

Hot Potato!

This BSoD could also be generated by an overheating PC, so it's a good practice to monitor your system temps on a regular basis. There are several temp monitoring programs available, such as -http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alcpu.com%2FCoreTemp%2F&ei=vs3rSZGRCoqyMd7PtdAF&usg=AFQjCNGSOa9k11mYqDoozf058ltF0aLQMg (Core Temp)-, -http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.techpowerup.com%2Frealtemp%2F&ei=yM3rScS_NYugM5TGpNkF&usg=AFQjCNFIZT4ezBctVGYet1xq3pd3AXXpZA (Real Temp)-, -http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.almico.com%2Fspeedfan.php&ei=1s3rSZW4EZmqMtvFvO0F&usg=AFQjCNHjPjmFuQJwp3IUFKLphybQl1SlRg (SpeedFan)-, and many others.

(IMAGE: http://www.maximumpc.com/files/u69/BSOD_Core_Temp.png)

As far as temperatures go, most CPUs can get very hot without incurring any damage. Temperatures of 75C under load aren't unheard of for hot-running CPUs, though most newer chips probably won't get as high. In general, it's a good idea to keep your CPU below 70C, and below 50C at idle. This will vary by processor make, model, and even steppings (revisions) of the same chip.

If a processor is running hot, examine your case's airflow and see if there are any obstructions. Check your fans for dust buildup, including the top of the heatsink that's cooling your CPU. A high-quality cooler will also bring temperatures down. And you should always have some sort of thermal paste between the CPU and the cooler. Finally, verify that all fans are spinning. If the fan is plugged in and still not spinning, replace the defective fan immediately.

The BIOS Beckons

If your BIOS is corrupt or has trouble with a new component, such as newly released processor core, your first order of business is to update to the latest version. Before updating the BIOS, you should change its settings back to default (there is usually a "reset to default" setting in the BIOS that makes this process easy, or you can simply clear the CMOS via the jumper on your motherboard). You should never attempt to update your BIOS on a system that is overclocked and unstable. A sudden reboot in the middle of the BIOS-flashing process will destroy your motherboard, turning it into a fancy doorstop. And remember: Never, under any circumstances, restart or shut down the system while you're flashing yoru BIOS. You can download the latest BIOS from your motherboard manufacturer's website.

(IMAGE: http://www.maximumpc.com/files/u69/BSOD_BIOS_Update.png)

When there are several different versions to choose from, skip right to the latest release rather than updating incrementally. Some motherboard vendors include utilities for updating the BIOS from within Windows. This makes the process easy enough for even novices to undertake, but for obvious reasons, we recommend avoiding this route when a system is prone to blue screens.

Mating Memory

Mismatched or bad memory sticks can also cause this blue screen. To scratch this one off of the troubleshooting list, run a single stick of RAM that Memtest86 has verified to be error free. If this solves the problem, replace the bad stick. If not, move on to the next step.

CPU is Kaput

We don't see this often, but another known cause for this particular error is a bad processor. Most people don't have the means to test the CPU in another system, so your options here may be limited. Local computer repair shops are sometimes willing to run the processor for a night or two for a nominal cost, but you can also contact AMD or Intel for a replacement if it's within the warranty period.

(IMAGE: http://www.maximumpc.com/files/u69/BSOD_CPU_0.png)

Other Notable BSoDs

PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA

Faulty hardware, including RAM (system, video, or L2 cache).

INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE

Caused by improperly configured jumpers on PATA hard drives, a boot sector virus, or incorrect IDE controller drives, which can also occur when installing the wrong chipset drivers.

VIDEO_DRIVER_INIT_FAILURE

Caused by installing the wrong drivers for a videocard or rebooting before driver installation could complete.

BAD_POOL_CALLER

Caused by a faulty or incompatible hardware driver, particularly when upgrading Windows XP instead of performing a clean install.

PFN_LIST_CORRUPT

Caused by faulty RAM.

MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION

A bad CPU -- or one that is too aggressively overclocked, or an underpowered or faluty power supply.

An End Run Around the BSoD

Reading blue screens of death is fun and all, but there's another, easier way to discover what your PC's problem is: the Event Viewer. When an error occurs in Windows, the OS adds a note to the system's log files. These logs are accessible through Windows's Event Viewer, and they contain all the information we need to know what ails our poor computer.

In XP, go the Start menu and open the Control Panel. Click Administrative Tools, then double-click the Event Viewer icon. Altternately, select Run from the Start menu and type eventvwr.msc, which will bring you right into the Event Viewer. In Vista, just type Event Viewer in the Start Search box.

(IMAGE: http://www.maximumpc.com/files/u69/BSOD_Event_Viewer.png)

On the left-hand pane, highlight the applicaton or system icon (under Windows Logs in Vista). On the right-hand pane, you'll see up to three different events labled Information, Warning, and Error. These are sorted by the time in which they occured. Scroll to the approximate time of the last system restart and double-click the events.

This brings up a Properties window detailing information that should clue you in on any problem. For example, if one of the events contains a bugcheck message with 0x0000002E, we know this is a DATA_BUS_ERROR, and is usually indicative of faulty RAM. On the other hand, there might be several events pointing to a specific driver, such as nv4_disp.dll. This tells us we should focus on the videocard and any recent changes related to the display hardware.

Armed with this information, we're ready to beging the troubleshooting steps outlined previously. If typing the event ID into Google and Microsoft's Knowledge Base (-http://support.microsoft.com/ (http://support.microsoft.com)-) doesn't help, head over to -http://www.eventid.net/ (www.eventid.net)-. This site contains a repository of comments and errors from other users, as well as the steps they took to alleviate their problems.

We recommend you familiarize yourself with the event viewer, even if your system is healthy. Rooting out minor problems before they progress will ensure your Windows install keeps humming along uneventfully.

Source: http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/blue_screen_survival_guide (Maximum PC)
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Hide Disk Partition with Easy Steps

2009-09-19T13:15:00.001+05:30

Want to hide disk partition then here is a solution those who share computers with others and want to hide full hard disk partition for and kind of reasons. By hiding any of the hard disk partition it will not make it out of work any program installed on these partitions will work as it works before hiding the disk drive.

Let?s start with steps to Hide Disk Partitions

* Hit the ?Start? menu button followed by "Run."
* Then type "gpedit.msc" in command line to open the group policy editor.
* Now select "User Configuration" and click the "+" sign next to it. And also Click the "+" sign next to "Administration Template."
* Then go to "Windows Components" and click the "+" next to it. Hit mouse button on "Windows Explorer."
* Now find out the line that says "Hide these specific drives in my computer" on the right side of the screen. Double-click ""Hide these specific drives in my computer." You can also right-click, then click "Properties."
* Now select the "Enabled." Box and Click the arrow next to "Restrict All Drives" and check out with mouse for the drives you want to hide. Click "Apply." Click "OK." Click the red "X" in the top right corner to exit group policy editor.
* Now open "My Computer" to check out the drive is surly hidden.
* Next you have to check personal firewall software for errors. If it pops up with a screen asking you to allow registry changes, click "Yes.

Backing up and Restoring Microsoft Outlook 2003 PST File

2009-08-30T23:17:00.001+05:30

Recently, I had to move my Microsoft Outlook 2003 PST (Personal Store, I think) file to another machine so I had to learn a bit about how Outlook uses PST files. The PST file may contain your emails, contacts, notes, calendar events, and tasks. The instructions below will help you to backup and restore your PST file on the same computer or on a different computer with Outlook 2003.

Note: Copying the PST file does not preserve the email services (such as POP3, IMAP, etc.) that you have configured. (The email services are also referred to as email support in the Outlook dialogs.)

Backing Up Your PST File

Find out where your PST file is located:
1. Run Outlook
2. Select menu Tools–>Options…–>Mail Setup–>Data Files…
3. You should see an entry for your PST file. If you see more than one, that's okay; just redo the instructions for each PST file.
4. Double-click on the entry to get a details dialog and look at the Filename field for the location of your PST file. (By default, your PST file should be named "Personal Folders" and its filename/location should be "C:\Documents and Settings\your_username\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\Outlook.pst".)
5. I strongly recommend renaming your PST file to something more specific than the default "Personal Folders" name. Later on, it will get confusing if you have several PST files with the exact same name.
Backup your PST file:
1. Quit Outlook
2. Make a copy of the PST file for your backup purpose

Restoring Your PST File

Copy your backup PST file to a machine with Outlook installed. Note the location of the PST file as this will be its permanent location.
Run Outlook. If this is the first time you are running Outlook, just create a default configuration without email support; aka, just select the defaults.
Select menu Tools–>Options…–>Mail Setup–>Data Files…
You will see the default "Personal Folders".
Click on the Add button, hit Ok, browse to your PST file location, and hit Ok to close the dialog.
You should now see two PST files. (If you have renamed your PST file during the backup, you should only see one "Personal Folders" which is the default PST. Otherwise, you may see two. If you see two, I strongly recommend renaming your PST file at this point.)
Before you can delete the original, default PST file (with comment "Default delivery location"), you must configure your own PST file as the default mail delivery location. If you try to delete the original PST at this point, Outlook will throw an error.
Click Close and Ok to close the Options dialog.
Select menu Tools–>Email Accounts….
Select "View or change existing e-mail accounts" and click Next button.
Select your personal PST file under the "Deliver new e-mail to the following location" dropbox. (Selection is by name so you might get confused if you didn't rename your PST file.)
Click Finish to close the E-mail Accounts dialog.
Select menu Tools–>Options…–>Mail Setup–>Data Files…
Select the original, default PST file and hit the Remove button.
Once the original PST file is deleted, click Close and Ok to close the Options dialog.
You have successfully restored your Outlook PST file!
Optionally, you can go to the "C:\Documents and Settings\your_username\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook" directory and delete the default PST file "Outlook.pst" which is no longer used.

Getting Address Book to use your Outlook PST Contacts

Try to open the address book by going to menu "Tools–>Address Book". If you do not see the contacts from your Outlook PST file, then you will need to configure the Address Book:

Go to menu "Tools–>E-mail Accounts…".
Select "View or change existing directories or address books" and click Next.
Select and remove any pre-existing "Outlook Address Book" entry that you see.
Click on Add… button, select "Additional Address Books" option, and click on Next.
Select "Outlook Address Book" under "Additional Address Book Types" and click Next, then click Finish.
Restart your Outlook client.
Go to menu "Tools–>Address Book". If you do not see your Outlook PST file contacts listed, then repeat the actions above. (I had to do it twice to get the Address Book working.)

Note: Strangely, Outlook only allows you to create one "Outlook Address Book".

Outlook Profiles and Related

Outlook supports having multiple profiles (or configurations) that it can be launched with. By default, it will come with one profile; which is automatically loaded, so you will never see this feature. You can create a second profile and configure Outlook to prompt for the profile when starting:

Right-click on the Outlook Icon on your desktop or in the Start menu and select Properties to display the Mail Setup dialog. (Note: This won't work on a shortcut to the Outlook program.)
Select Show Profiles
To create a new Profile:
- Select the Add… button.
- Input a profile name and hit the Ok button.
- Click on the Close button and Ok button to not configure email support (POP3, IMAP, etc.); otherwise, configure away.
- Outlook will create a new profile with a default data file named Outlook.pst (or Outlook1.pst, Outlook2.pst, Outlook3.pst, etc., if there is a pre-existing file in the "C:\Documents and Settings\your_username\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook" directory of the same name).
Configure Outlook to prompt for a profile on startup by selecting "Prompt for a profile to be used".
Hit the Ok button to close the Mail Setup dialog.
The next time you start Outlook, it will prompt you for the profile to use.

I found some other Outlook related tidbits of info that you might find useful:

At this location ""C:\Documents and Settings\your_username\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook":
- The "outcmd.dat" file stores your toolbar customizations. Quit Outlook, delete this file, and restart Outlook to restore the toolbar to default settings and recreate icons that some add-ins might have installed.
- I think the Outlook temporary setting files are kept in the . I see some files there that have the same names as the profiles. Strangely, when the profiles are deleted, these files remain, instead of being deleted.
At this location ""C:\Documents and Settings\your_username\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook":
- The "extend.dat" file keeps a registry cache of add-in settings. Quit Outlook, delete this file, and restart Outlook to force Outlook to retrieve the settings from the registry again.
- If you have a profile with "Exchange Server" email support, you will see a file named "outlook.ost". I think this is the local offline cache of emails and contacts for your Exchange Server account.
- New Outlook PST files (Outlook.pst, Outlook1.pst, Outlook2.pst) are created here.

Hopefully, you will find some of the info above useful. (Information about "extend.dat" and "outcmd.dat" were derived from Resetting dat-files.)

Source

Backing Up Windows Desktop Locally and Remotely

2009-08-30T23:16:00.000+05:30

To prevent data loss on my Windows desktop, I've created automated scripts to backup the data locally and remotely.

For both sections below, we will pretend that I want to backup two directories:

C:\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents\Tax Files
C:\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents\Photos

Backing Up Windows Desktop Locally

The best way to backup your data locally is to have a second hard drive and copy your data to that second hard drive. This way, if the primary hard drive dies, you still have a copy of your data on the second hard drive.

To do the copy, you could just use the DOS "xcopy" command, but that is very inefficient if you have a large amount of data to copy; each time, it will copy everything again (even if nothing changes). The better way to copy is to apply only the differences between the original data and the copy on the second hard drive. I recommend using Beyond Compare for this purpose (unfortunately, it costs $30).

Warning: I tried using the free RSync program, but it had problems with long path names and will sometimes remove access permissions from directories and files that it copies on Windows. As a result, I wasn't able to access the directories and files or delete them. With administrative rights, I was able to recursively give myself full rights to the directories and files again. In short, I don't recommend using RSync for copies where the destination target is Windows. For remote Unix targets, you can recursively adjust the permissions by using ssh to issue a chmod: ssh user@hostname 'chmod -R 755 /directory'

Here is the Beyond Compare script file, named "daily_backup.bc2″, which I used:

# Turn on logging to a file
log normal "C:\temp\bc_synclog_%date%.txt"

# Load the source and destination folder
load "C:\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents" "D:\Backups\Daily\My Documents"

# Mirror only these directories (the endings slash indicates directory)
filter "Tax Files\;Photos\"

# One-way Mirror from source to destination
sync create-empty mirror:lt->rt

Here is the DOS batch file, named "daily_backup.bat", which is used to launch Beyond Compare:

"C:\Program Files\Tools\Beyond Compare 2\bc2.exe" @"C:\Scripts\daily_backup.bc2"

move C:\Temp\bc_synclog_*.txt "D:\Backups\Daily\"

Now to schedule Windows to run the DOS batch file once a day:

Go to menu "Start->Control Panel->Scheduled Tasks->Add Scheduled Task". Click Next.
Click Browse button and select the DOS batch file "daily_backup.bat".
Select "Daily" and click Next.
Select a start time and click Next.
Input your password. Click Next. Click Finish.

Backing Up Windows Desktop Remotely

The issue with a local backup is that if there is an accident (like a fire), both hard drives may be destroyed. The best backup is to another server which is not physically located in the same location as your desktop.

If you have a remote server which allows FTP access, you can use Beyond Compare to do the copy. Here is the Beyond Compare script to do so:

# FTP prompts if overwriting, set auto confirm yes
option confirm:yes-to-all

# Turn on logging to a file
log normal "C:\temp\bc_synclog_remote_%date%.txt"

# Load the source and destination folder (all on one line)
load "C:\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents" "ftp://username:password@ftp.hostname/backup"

# Mirror only these files and directories
filter "Tax Files\;Photos\"

# Mirror
sync create-empty mirror:lt->rt

If the Beyond Compare FTP hangs, you may need to enable passive mode.

Launch Beyond Compare
Go to menu "Tools->Options->FTP->Firewall / Proxy"
Check the "Passive Mode" box

Beyond Compare FTP does not support delta copies (just copying the differences in the files); so for efficiency, you may wish to use the free RSync if your remote server supports rsync.

Here is the DOS batch script to issue the RSync command:

cd "\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents"

C:\Scripts\RSync\rsync.exe -vrt –delete "Tax Files" username@hostname:~/backup/

C:\Scripts\RSync\rsync.exe -vrt –delete Photos username@hostname:~/backup/

Unless you establish trust with the remote server (ssh.exe and ssh-keygen.exe comes with RSync and the keys are stored into the "%HOME%\.ssh" directory on Windows), RSync will prompt you for the password. This will make automating the remote backup rather difficult since it won't be able to run unattended. In the case where your remote server doesn't support establishing trust, you will need to use a scripting tool like Expect, which comes as part ActiveState Tcl.

Warning: Other programs may come with their own ssh.exe and ssh-keygen.exe executables which are not compatible with RSync. To avoid issues, you will want to make sure that the RSync directory is the first one in the "%PATH%" environmental variable.

After installing the ActiveState Tcl above (pick the standard distribution of ActiveTcl which is free), you will need to run the following command to install Expect:

C:\Scripts\Tcl\teacup.exe install Expect

Here is the Tcl/Expect script, named "expect_rsync.tcl", that will run RSYNC, wait for the password prompt, and input the password for you:

# Load the expect extension
package require Expect

# Enable logging
log_user 1

# Set timeout for password wait to 10 secs
set timeout 10

# Input arguments
array set OPTS {
   host   ""
   user   ""
   passwd ""
   backup ""
}

# Usage info
proc usage {code} {
   global OPTS
   puts [expr {$code ? "stderr" : "stdout"}] \
   "$::argv0 -host hostname -user username -passwd password -backup location ?options?
   -help         (print out this message)"
   exit $code
}

# Parse the arguments
proc parseargs {argc argv} {
   global OPTS
   foreach {key val} $argv {
      switch -exact — $key {
         "-host" { set OPTS(host) $val }
         "-user" { set OPTS(user) $val }
         "-passwd" { set OPTS(passwd) $val }
         "-backup" { set OPTS(backup) $val }
         "-help" { usage 0 }
      }
   }
}

parseargs $argc $argv

# Make sure we are not mssing any input arguments
if {$OPTS(host) == "" || $OPTS(user) == "" || $OPTS(passwd) == "" || $OPTS(backup) == ""} {
   usage 1
}

# Spawn an rsync process
spawn rsync -vrt –delete $OPTS(backup) $OPTS(user)@$OPTS(host):~/backup/
match_max 10000

set id $spawn_id

# Look for passwod prompt
expect -i $id timeout {
   puts "timed out"
   exit -1
} eof {
   puts "spawn failed with eof"
   exit -1
} "*?assword:*" {
   send -i $id — "$OPTS(passwd)\r"
}

# send blank line make sure we continue session
send -i $id — "\r"

# Close session and wait for spawn return
wait -i $id

Here is the DOS batch script to issue the Tcl RSync command:

cd "\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents"

C:\Scripts\Tcl\tclsh85.exe C:\Scripts\RSync\expect_rsync.tcl -host hostname -user username -passwd password -backup "Tax Files"

C:\Scripts\Tcl\tclsh85.exe C:\Scripts\RSync\expect_rsync.tcl -host hostname -user username -passwd password -backup Photos

Encrypting Your Remote Backup Files

If your remote server is not 100% secure (it may be your web hosting service), you may wish to encrypt your backups before copying them to the remote server. I use Winzip for this purpose. Winzip 10 or later comes with a free command line interface which we can script.

Here is the DOS batch script I use to zip, encrypt, and copy to the remote server:

"C:\Program Files\Tools\WinZip\wzzip.exe" -spassword -ez -p -r -u -ycAES256 -ybc -yu "C:\Documents and Settings\personal\My Documents\zip_archives\tax_files.zip" "C:\Documents and Settings\personal\My Documents\Tax Files\*"

"C:\Program Files\Tools\WinZip\wzzip.exe" -spassword -ez -p -r -u -ycAES256 -ybc -yu "C:\Documents and Settings\personal\My Documents\zip_archives\photos.zip" "C:\Documents and Settings\personal\My Documents\Photos\*"

C:\Scripts\RSync\rsync.exe -vrt –delete zip_archives username@hostname:~/backup/

The "-u" flag given to Winzip tells Winzip to update the archive file. This will add new files to or update existing files in the zip archive which have changed. Using this flag will drastically reduce subsequent executions of Winzip. Note that Winzip will not remove files from the archive, so if you wish to have a 100% accurate archive file, just delete the archive file and a subsequent run of Winzip will regenerate it.

RSync over SSH

In the worse case, your remote server may support SSH but not RSync. You can still run RSync over the SSH connection. Here is the updated RSync command to use:

C:\Scripts\RSync\rsync.exe -vrt –delete -e "ssh -p port -l username -v" zip_archives hostname:~/backup/

You may omit "-p port" if your remote server uses the default SSH port of 22.

Unfortunately, if you cannot establish trust with the remote server and need to input the password, automation using the Tcl/Expect script is not possible. There is an issue in the current version of ActiveState Expect that prevents it from working with RSync over SSH.

DOS Batch Tools

I had to create two command line tools to enhance the DOS batch functionality. The first tool is called WinClose.exe and it is used to close running programs. I used it to close Microsoft Outlook to unlock the storage file so that I could copy it. The second tool is called Wait.exe and it is used to pause the batch execution to allow Microsoft Outlook enough time to completely close (5 seconds) before the copy occurs. You can find these two tools in my Open Source page.

Configure Microsoft Outlook 2003 for Gmail IMAP and Yahoo Mail POP3

2009-08-30T23:15:00.000+05:30

IMAP and POP3 are different protocols for retrieving email. POP3 is the older and much simpler protocol; it will only give you access to the Inbox folder. IMAP is younger and more sophisticated; it will give you access to your Inbox and other folders. If your email provider supports IMAP, I would suggest using it over POP3.

Configuring Gmail IMAP

Your Gmail account comes with free POP3 and IMAP access. You just have to enable it.

Log into your Gmail account.
Click on Settings and then "Forwarding and POP/IMAP".
Click on "Enable IMAP".
Or if you wish to use POP3, click on "Enable POP for all mail" and select "keep Gmail's copy in the inbox" in the dropdown for "When messages are accessed with POP". The reason for the latter option is to prevent POP3 from downloading the mail messages to your Outlook and deleting the mail messages from Yahoo Mail itself.
Click on "Save Changes".

You can now configure Outlook to access your Gmail account using IMAP.

Run Outlook.
Select menu "Tools–>E-mail Accounts…".
Select "Add a new e-mail account" and click Next.
Select IMAP and click Next.
Input your name into "Your Name" field and your email address into "E-mail Address" as you would like it to appear in the From field of your emails.
Input "imap.gmail.com" into the "Incoming mail server (IMAP)" field and "smtp.gmail.com" into the "Outgoing mail server (SMTP)" field.
Input your full Gmail username (with the @gmail.com) into the "User Name" field and your Gmail password into the "Password" field.
Do not check the "Log on using Secure Password Authentication (SPA)" box.
Click on the "More Settings…" button.
- Under General, you can change the name that this email account will show up in Outlook as; I suggest changing this to match your full email address. (You may need to restart Outlook for this change to take effect everywhere.)
- Under "Outgoing Server", check the "My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication" box and the "Use same settings as my incoming mail server" option.
- Under Advanced, check the "This server requires an encrypted connection (SSL)" box and input 993 into the "Incoming server (IMAP)" field. (You will want to do it in this order because checking the SSL box will reset the port number.)
- Next, check the "This server requires an encrypted connection (SSL)" box and input 465 into the "Outgoing server (SMTP)" field. (You will want to do it in this order because checking the SSL box will reset the port number.)
- Finally, you may wish to increase the "Server Timeouts" from the default 1 minute to 2 minutes.
Click OK, Next, and Finish.
You should see your Gmail account show up as a new root entry in your Outlook's All Mail Folders.

Because of how Gmail persists emails, deleting Gmail messages using Outlook is a two step process:

Under Outlook, go to the Gmail's "All Mail" folder.
Locate the message which you wish to delete and drag-n-drop it to Gmail's Trash folder.
Go to the Trash folder, select the messages you wish to delete, and hit the Delete key on your keyboard. The subject lines for the selected messages will be striken through.
Go to menu "Edit –> Purge Deleted Messages".
Note: dragging the message from the "Inbox" folder instead of from the "All Mail" folder will just remove the message from the "Inbox" folder and leave it in "All Mail" folder.

Configuring Yahoo Mail POP3

Yahoo Mail only supports POP3 access and only if you have a Yahoo Plus Mail account. If you don't have a Yahoo Plus Mail account and are technically inclined, you can use the free YPOPs application.

If you have a Yahoo Plus Mail account, you can configure Outlook to access your Yahoo Mail using POP3.

Run Outlook.
Select menu "Tools–>E-mail Accounts…".
Select "Add a new e-mail account" and click Next.
Select POP3 and click Next.
Input your name into "Your Name" field and your email address into "E-mail Address" as you would like it to appear in the From field of your emails.
Input "plus.pop.mail.yahoo.com" into the "Incoming mail server (IMAP)" field and "plus.smtp.mail.yahoo.com" into the "Outgoing mail server (SMTP)" field.
Input your short Yahoo username (without the @yahoo.com) into the "User Name" field and your Yahoo password into the "Password" field.
Do not check the "Log on using Secure Password Authentication (SPA)" box.
Click on the "More Settings…" button.
- Under General, you can change the name that this email account will show up in Outlook as; I suggest changing this to match your full email address. (You may need to restart Outlook for this change to take effect everywhere.)
- Under "Outgoing Server", check the "My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication" box and the "Use same settings as my incoming mail server" option.
- Under Advanced, check the "This server requires an encrypted connection (SSL)" box and input 995 into the "Incoming server (IMAP)" field. (You will want to do it in this order because checking the SSL box will reset the port number.)
- Next, check the "This server requires an encrypted connection (SSL)" box and input 465 into the "Outgoing server (SMTP)" field. (You will want to do it in this order because checking the SSL box will reset the port number.)
- Then, you may wish to increase the "Server Timeouts" from the default 1 minute to 2 minutes.
- Finally, check the "Leave a copy of the messages on the server" box and the "Remove from server when deleted from 'Deleted Items'" box. This will keep the mail messages on your Yahoo account until you delete it from Outlook's "Deleted Items" folder.
Click OK, Next, and Finish.
Unlike with IMAP, your POP3 account will not show up as a new root entry in your Outlook's All Mail Folders. Instead, POP3 messages are delivered to the store designated as the default delivery location. You can find the default delivery store by doing the following:
- Select menu "Tools–>E-mail Accounts…"
- Select "View or change existing e-mail accounts" and click Next
- The default delivery store is shown in the "Deliver new e-mail to the following location" dropdown.

If you are an AT&T SBC Yahoo subscriber, you can link your yahoo account to your AT&T account and thus, upgrade your yahoo account to a plus account. If you do so, you can use the following alternative POP3 and SMTP server settings, "pop.att.yahoo.com" and "smtp.att.yahoo.com"; though the POP3 and SMTP server settings above should also work.

Deleting your Yahoo mail follows the standard Outlook functionality. You will find your Yahoo mail in your default delivery store. If you delete the mail from your Outlook Inbox folder, it should appear in the Outlook "Deleted Items" folder (even though in Yahoo, it remains in the Inbox folder). If you delete mail from the Outlook "Deleted Items" folder, that mail will finally be removed from your Yahoo account.

Which email account to use when composing a new email?

If you have several POP3 and IMAP accounts, you may want to select one of the accounts as the default to use when composing and sending a new message. Basically, when composing a new email, what is the default From address to use? You can set the default account to use by doing the following:

Go to menu "Tools->E-mail Accounts…"
Select "View or change existing e-mail accounts" and click Next.
Select each account (under "Outlook processes e-mail for these accounts in the following order") and use the "Move Up" and "Move Down" buttons to re-order it. The first account listed will be the default account used when composing and sending a new email message.
Click Finish.

If you are replying to an existing email message, Outlook will use the account that the email was received on to determine which of your email addresses to use as the From address. For example, if you are replying to an email sent to "you@you.com", then the reply email will use "you@you.com" as the From address.

The info above was taken from Outlook 2003 – Gmail Help and POP Yahoo! Mail Plus with Microsoft Outlook 2002 (XP) and 2003.

Source

How to determine whether a computer is running a 32-bit version or 64-bit version of the Windows operating system

2009-08-29T00:09:00.000+05:30

Determine the operating system bit count

Locate the operating system that is running on your computer in this section, and then follow the steps to determine the bit count of your operating system.

Windows Vista

If you have Windows Vista, there are two methods to determine whether you are running a 32-bit or a 64-bit version. If one does not work, try the other.

Method 1: View System window in Control Panel

Click Start
Collapse this imageExpand this image

, type system in the Start Search box, and then click system in the Programs list.
The operating system is displayed as follows:
- For a 64-bit version operating system: 64-bit Operating System appears for the System type under System.
- For a 32-bit version operating system: 32-bit Operating System appears for the System type under System.

Method 2: View System Information window

Click Start
Collapse this imageExpand this image

, type system in the Start Search box, and then click System Information in the Programs list.
When System Summary is selected in the navigation pane, the operating system is displayed as follows:
- For a 64-bit version operating system: x64-based PC appears for the System type under Item.
- For a 32-bit version operating system: x86-based PC appears for the System type under Item.

If you cannot determine the operating system bit count with these methods, go to the "Next Steps" section.

Windows XP

If you have Windows XP, there are two methods to determine whether you are running a 32-bit or a 64-bit version. If one does not work, try the other.

Method 1: View System Properties in Control Panel

Click Start, and then click Run.
Type sysdm.cpl, and then click OK.
Click the General tab. The operating system is displayed as follows:
- For a 64-bit version operating system: Windows XP Professional x64 Edition Version < Year> appears under System.
- For a 32-bit version operating system: Windows XP Professional Version <Year> appears under System.
Note <Year> is a placeholder for a year.

Method 2: View System Information window

Click Start, and then click Run.
Type winmsd.exe, and then click OK.
When System Summary is selected in the navigation pane, locate Processor under Item in the details pane. Note the value.
- If the value that corresponds to Processor starts with x86, the computer is running a 32-bit version of Windows.
- If the value that corresponds to Processor starts with ia64 or AMD64, the computer is running a 64-bit version of Windows.

If you cannot determine the operating system bit count with these methods, go to the "Next Steps" section.

Windows Server 2003

If you have Windows Server 2003, there are two methods to determine whether you are running a 32-bit or a 64-bit version. If one does not work, try the other.

Method 1: View System Properties in Control Panel

Click Start, and then click Run.
Type sysdm.cpl, and then click OK.
Click the General tab. The operating system is displayed as follows:
- For a 64-bit version operating system: Windows Server 2003 Enterprise x64 Edition appears under System.
- For a 32-bit version operating system: Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition appears under System.

Method 2: View System Information window

Click Start, and then click Run
Type winmsd.exe, and then click OK.
When System Summary is selected in the navigation pane, locate Processor under Item in the details pane. Note the value.
- If the value that corresponds to Processor starts with x86, the computer is running a 32-bit version of Windows.
- If the value that corresponds to Processor starts with EM64T or ia64, the computer is running a 64-bit version of Windows.

If you cannot determine the operating system bit count by using these methods, go to the "Next Steps" section.

Notes

To find the computer's bit count, see the documentation that was included with the computer, or contact the hardware manufacturer.
Intel Itanium-based computers can run only 64-bit versions of Windows. Intel Itanium-based computers cannot run 32-bit versions of Windows. Currently, 64-bit versions of Windows run only on Itanium-based computers and on AMD64-based computers.

Source

what CAM/TS/TC/SCR means?

2009-08-24T11:55:00.001+05:30

CAM -

A cam is a theater rip usually done with a digital video camera. A mini tripod is sometimes used, but a lot of the time this wont be possible, so the camera make shake. Also seating placement isn't always idle, and it might be filmed from an angle. If cropped properly, this is hard to tell unless there's text on the screen, but a lot of times these are left with triangular borders on the top and bottom of the screen. Sound is taken from the onboard microphone of the camera, and especially in comedies, laughter can often be heard during the film. Due to these factors picture and sound quality are usually quite poor, but sometimes we're lucky, and the theater will be' fairly empty and a fairly clear signal will be heard.

TELESYNC (TS) -

A telesync is the same spec as a CAM except it uses an external audio source (most likely an audio jack in the chair for hard of hearing people). A direct audio source does not ensure a good quality audio source, as a lot of background noise can interfere. A lot of the times a telesync is filmed in an empty cinema or from the projection booth with a professional camera, giving a better picture quality. Quality ranges drastically, check the sample before downloading the full release. A high percentage of Telesyncs are CAMs that have been mislabeled.

TELECINE (TC) -

A telecine machine copies the film digitally from the reels. Sound and picture should be very good, but due to the equipment involved and cost telecines are fairly uncommon. Generally the film will be in correct aspect ratio, although 4:3 telecines have existed. A great example is the JURASSIC PARK 3 TC done last year. TC should not be confused with TimeCode , which is a visible counter on screen throughout the film.

SCREENER (SCR) -

A pre VHS tape, sent to rental stores, and various other places for promotional use. A screener is supplied on a VHS tape, and is usually in a 4:3 (full screen) a/r, although letterboxed screeners are sometimes found. The main draw back is a "ticker" (a message that scrolls past at the bottom of the screen, with the copyright and anti-copy telephone number). Also, if the tape contains any serial numbers, or any other markings that could lead to the source of the tape, these will have to be blocked, usually with a black mark over the section. This is sometimes only for a few seconds, but unfortunately on some copies this will last for the entire film, and some can be quite big. Depending on the equipment used, screener quality can range from excellent if done from a MASTER copy, to very poor if done on an old VHS recorder thru poor capture equipment on a copied tape. Most screeners are transferred to VCD, but a few attempts at SVCD have occurred, some looking better than others.

DVD-SCREENER (DVDscr) -

Same premise as a screener, but transferred off a DVD. Usually letterbox , but without the extras that a DVD retail would contain. The ticker is not usually in the black bars, and will disrupt the viewing. If the ripper has any skill, a DVDscr should be very good. Usually transferred to SVCD or DivX/XviD.

R5-

R5 refers to a specific format of DVD released in DVD Region 5, the former Soviet Union, and bootlegged copies of these releases that are distributed on the Internet. In an effort to compete with movie piracy, the movie industry chose to create a new format for DVD releases that could be produced more quickly and less expensively than traditional DVD releases. R5 releases differ from normal releases in that they are a direct Telecine transfer of the film without any of the image processing common on DVD releases, and without any special features. This allows the film to be released for sale at the same time that DVD Screeners are released. Since DVD Screeners are the chief source of high-quality pirated movies, this allows the movie studios to beat the pirates to market. In some cases, R5 DVDs may be released without an English audio track, requiring pirates to use the direct line audio from the film's theatrical release. In this case, the pirated release is tagged with ".LINE" to distinguish it from a release with a DVD audio track.

The image quality of an R5 release is generally comparable to a DVD Screener release, except without the added scrolling text and black and white scenes that serve to distinguish screeners from commercial DVD releases. The quality is better than Telecine transfers produced by movie pirates because the transfer is performed usingprofessional-grade film scanning equipment.

DVDRip -

A copy of the final released DVD. If possible this is released PRE retail (for example, Star Wars episode 2) again, should be excellent quality. DVDrips are released in SVCD, AVI (DivX/Xvid) and more recently MKV/MP4 (H.264).

VHSRip -

Transferred off a retail VHS, mainly skating/sports videos and XXX releases.

TVRip -

TV episode that is either from Network (capped using digital cable/satellite boxes are preferable) or PRE-AIR from satellite feeds sending the program around to networks a few days earlier (do not contain "dogs" but sometimes have flickers etc) Some programs such as WWF Raw Is War contain extra parts, and the "dark matches" and camera/commentary tests are included on the rips. PDTV is capped from a digital TV PCI card, generally giving the best results, and groups tend to release in SVCD for these. VCD/SVCD/DivX/XviD rips are all supported by the TV scene.

WORKPRINT (WP) -

A workprint is a copy of the film that has not been finished. It can be missing scenes, music, and quality can range from excellent to very poor. Some WPs are very different from the final print (Men In Black is missing all the aliens, and has actors in their places) and others can contain extra scenes (Jay and Silent Bob) . WPs can be nice additions to the collection once a good quality final has been obtained.

DivX Re-Enc -

A DivX re-enc is a film that has been taken from its original VCD source, and re-encoded into a small DivX file. Most commonly found on file sharers, these are usually labeled something like Film.Name.Group(1of2) etc. Common groups are SMR and TND. These aren't really worth downloading, unless you're that unsure about a film u only want a 200mb copy of it. Generally avoid.

Watermarks -

A lot of films come from Asian Silvers/PDVD (see below) and these are tagged by the people responsible. Usually with a letter/initials or a little logo, generally in one of the corners. Most famous are the "Z" "A" and "Globe" watermarks.

Asian Silvers / PDVD -

These are films put out by eastern bootleggers, and these are usually bought by some groups to put out as their own. Silvers are very cheap and easily available in a lot of countries, and its easy to put out a release, which is why there are so many in the scene at the moment, mainly from smaller groups who don't last more than a few releases. PDVDs are the same thing pressed onto a DVD. They have removable subtitles, and the quality is usually better than the silvers. These are ripped like a normal DVD, but usually released as VCD.

Scene Tags...

PROPER -

Due to scene rules, whoever releases the first Telesync has won that race (for example). But if the quality of that release is fairly poor, if another group has another telesync (or the same source in higher quality) then the tag PROPER is added to the folder to avoid being duped. PROPER is the most subjective tag in the scene, and a lot of people will generally argue whether the PROPER is better than the original release. A lot of groups release PROPERS just out of desperation due to losing the race. A reason for the PROPER should always be included in the NFO.

LIMITED -

A limited movie means it has had a limited theater run, generally opening in less than 250 theaters, generally smaller films (such as art house films) are released as limited.

INTERNAL -

An internal release is done for several reasons. Classic DVD groups do a lot of INTERNAL releases, as they wont be dupe'd on it. Also lower quality theater rips are done INTERNAL so not to lower the reputation of the group, or due to the amount of rips done already. An INTERNAL release is available as normal on the groups affiliate sites, but they can't be traded to other sites without request from the site ops. Some INTERNAL releases still trickle down to IRC/Newsgroups, it usually depends on the title and the popularity. Earlier in the year people referred to Centropy going "internal". This meant the group were only releasing the movies to their members and site ops. This is in a different context to the usual definition.

STV -

Straight To Video. Was never released in theaters, and therefore a lot of sites do not allow these.

ASPECT RATIO TAGS -

These are *WS* for widescreen (letterbox) and *FS* for Fullscreen.

REPACK -

If a group releases a bad rip, they will release a Repack which will fix the problems.

NUKED -

A film can be nuked for various reasons. Individual sites will nuke for breaking their rules (such as "No Telesyncs") but if the film has something extremely wrong with it (no soundtrack for 20mins, CD2 is incorrect film/game etc) then a global nuke will occur, and people trading it across sites will lose their credits. Nuked films can still reach other sources such as p2p/usenet, but its a good idea to check why it was nuked first in case. If a group realise there is something wrong, they can request a nuke.

NUKE REASONS...

this is a list of common reasons a film can be nuked for (generally DVDRip)

BAD A/R = bad aspect ratio, ie people appear too fat/thin
BAD IVTC = bad inverse telecine. process of converting framerates was incorrect.
INTERLACED = black lines on movement as the field order is incorrect.

DUPE -

Dupe is quite simply, if something exists already, then theres no reason for it to exist again without proper reason.

The difference between POP and IMAP

2009-08-22T22:54:00.001+05:30

There are two basic ways to set up an email program such as Eudora, Entourage or Outlook to check your email. One is to use a POP (POP3 actually: Post Office Protocol) and the other is to use IMAP (IMAP4 actually: Internet Message Access Protocol). POP is the most common way of doing this but from our point of view IMAP has certain major advantages over POP and that hopefully will become clear to you in a minute. Please don't confuse IMAP with IMP - IMP stands for Internet Messaging Program, and it's the web application used to read your NYUMC/Skirball email from a web browser, better referred to as webmail. There is a certain relation between IMP and IMAP but they're entirely different animals and the similarity of the acronyms is incidental.

If POP is used all your email messages are downloaded from the email server to your computer and stored on the hard drive. Most programs have the option to keep the messages on the server for x number of days but sooner or later the messages are removed from the server. Also, with POP your outgoing emails are kept locally on your hard drive which leads to the familiar and annoying situation where you have different emails on each computer that you use to check email: home, office, work, etc. Furthermore, the local file used by your email program to store messages is specific to the program, there is no widely accepted standard. So, if you ever decide to switch your email program, you will find it necessary to export/import the emails from one program to another which is often painfully slow or doesn't work very well at all. In some cases when moving between different programs and different operating systems (Mac, Windows, Linux) it may be altogether impossible. Most people don't even know where these files are and don't make any backups and don't know how to move them to another computer. POP has basically only two advantages: once the emails are downloaded to your computer, they open very fast since they reside on your local hard drive and your mail storage capacity is only limited by the free space on your hard drive, it's not subject to quotas and size limitations imposed by your mail provider, be it NYU, Earthlink, Verizon, etc. Also, POP is easier to implement and support and it creates less network traffic for your internet provider. For these reasons POP is often the only way your ISP will support.

If IMAP is used all your email messages are stored on the server and never removed. In most cases your email application creates a local cache of messages on your hard drive to speed up the opening of emails, but the originals are not touched. Also, with IMAP (this is the big one!) your sent mail and drafts are uploaded to the server! Because of this, you will see the same incoming and sent messages from any computer as long as your mail program is configured for IMAP. POP3 does not have this functionality. Furthermore, the IMAP folders on saturn are the same ones that IMP (the webmail program) uses. Therefore, if you use IMP to send email while being away from the Institute, then come back to your office, open Entourage you will see that email in your sent mail folder! Or, if you save your message-in-progress in the office it'll get uploaded to your drafts IMAP folder and you will be able to open it at home and continue working on it. Pretty neat, isn't it? Of course like anything good in this world it comes at a price:( First, reading email over IMAP is slower because messages are read "live" off the mail server. It's particularly slow the first time you open a folder or a message as it has to be downloaded and cached. Each next time it's quicker though. But IMAP is inherently slower than POP3, in particular over slower connections. The other negative side of IMAP is that it's sensitive to the size of your mailboxes, at least this is the case with certain mail servers as the one run by us. That is, if you have a lot of messages in your inbox checking your email may become slower and slower over time as your inbox grows large. Also, if your email provider imposes quotas IMAP may become a problem. To address this you need to manage and archive your email. You can create additional IMAP folders and move emails out of your inbox and sent mail. In most cases it's enough to do this once a month. On Saturn we don't impose email quotas though. Your mail storage is limited only by free space in your home directory, but you still need to manage your email to avoid the slowdowns, this is a technical issue.

Since IMAP is an internet standard and the emails are stored on the server it's easy to switch between email programs and operating systems. You can move or setup additional IMAP accounts in Outlook XP under Windows and Mail.app in OSX or Thunderbird uner Linux with equal ease and within minutes you will see all your emails even if you don't have access to your previous program or the other computer. There is no need to copy any files between computers just configure a few settings.

Also, with IMAP we can enable automatic spam filtering for you and the IMAP mail is backed up nightly. Here is more info on spam filtering on Saturn.

As far as functionality and convenience are considered IMAP is the way to and we encourage you to switch to IMAP. We're working on a page with instructions and we're here to help you with the conversion as well.

Not all email programs have IMAP implemented properly though. All versions of Eudora are notorious for not being able to upload sent mail to the IMAP server properly, therefore we do not support IMAP under Eudora! Our preferred email program is Entourage and we support it 100%. It's a commercial program that comes as part of Microsoft Office for MacOS. We also support IMAP under Mozilla Thunderbird and the latest versions of Apple Mail that comes with OSX 10.4 (Tiger).

If you start using IMAP you should no longer use POP on any other computer! Using a mix of POP and IMAP will lead to conflicts and will basically defy the purpose of switching to IMAP in the first place. To get the the full benefits of IMAP you must switch to IMAP exclusively. For the reasons mentioned above it's OK to continue to use webmail (IMP) as it is essentially an IMAP client.



SUMMARY POP advantages - messages load very quickly once they're downloaded - messages are stored on your hard drive so they're not subject to server storage limits and quotas - widely supported by ISPs and email providers - all email programs support it POP disadvantages - messages are stored on your hard drive so they're not accessible from other computers - sent mail and drafts are not accessible from other computers either - messages are eventually removed from the server - messages are stored in files that are not compatible between different programs - it's usually difficult to migrate from one program to another, sometimes impossible - it's cumbersome to copy your email to another computer (office, home, school, laptop, etc.) - users normally don't have backups of their email IMAP advantages - messages are stored on the server are accessible from any computer and webmail anywhere in the world - IMAP mail folders remain synchronized with IMP (webmail) - sent messages and drafts are also stored on the server - server-side spam filtering is easily implemented with IMAP - IMAP mail is backed up nightly on the server and can be restored - ease of migration from a program to a program and from a computer to another computer/location - ease of setting up additional computers to check your email, no need to copy anything fro one computer to another IMAP disadvantages - messages load slower, in particular the first time they're read - sensitive to size and requires periodic archival of email messages - subject to storage quotas (not the case with Saturn, however) - very few ISPs and email providers offer IMAP as it is considered a high end option and it's complex for them to support - not all email programs support it properly

Mark them as "favourite"

2009-06-05T22:26:00.001+05:30

LINKS

NEWS

http://www.webware.com/100/

http://www.internetnews.com/

BLOG

http://blogs.computerworld.com/

NETWORKING

http://ilearningglobal.biz/

OPERATING SYSTEMS

https://www.redhat.com/apps/download/

http://www.freebyte.com/operatingsystems/

VIDEOS

http://fora.tv/

http://www.cmu.edu/multimedia/index.shtml

http://www.cwnp.com/ads-pre.html

FLASH

http://www.cisco.com/cdc_content_elements/flash/security/therealm/index.html?POSITION=sl&COUNTRY_SITE=us&CAMPAIGN=The+Realm&CREATIVE=Superheros2&REFERRING_SITE=CISCO.COM+INDEX#/episode_1

RESOURCES

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx

http://sourceforge.net/

http://www.theiet.org/membership/cisco/index.cfm

http://www.us-cert.gov/

http://developer.android.com/

http://www.theesa.com/

http://www.americangaming.org/

PERL

http://www.perl.com/download.csp

IT GAMES

https://cisco.hosted.jivesoftware.com/community/connections/games

http://www.opensourcewindows.org/

http://www.opensourcemac.org/

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/default.aspx

LINKS TO VIDEOS

http://blogs.cisco.com/channels

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/netsol/ns914/networking_solutions_program_home.html

GOODIES FOR TECHS

HELPFULL

http://academicearth.org/courses/understanding-computers-and-the-internet

http://academicearth.org

This website has thousands of video lectures from the world's top scholars. Excellent source for Computer Science mayors and much more.

http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/courses/av/index.htm

Computer Science and more...

http://66.175.80.129/worldlibrary /searchResults.do?query=CISCO&maxResult=10&command=search

http://worldlibrary.net/Collections.htm

http://worldlibrary.net/

500,000 pdf + and more for 9$ a year.

http://freevideolectures.com/computerscience.html

Free lectures

http://www.cantenna.com/wifi-antenna/index.html

Acessing the Internet

http://videolectures.net/

http://freevideolectures.com/

http://lecturefox.com

http://www.magicjack.com/7/index.asp

https://cisco.hosted.jivesoftware.com/

http://www.groupstudy.com/

http://dfw.cisco-users.org/study_groups.htm

http://www.nylana.org/sigs/sig.php?sig=cisco

http://www.cisco-users.org/other_cugs.htm

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=12615661836

http://www.meetup.com/NYCCCIE/

http://my.safaribooksonline.com/search?category=itbooks.cert.cisco.ccna

The difference between POP and IMAP

2009-05-31T23:41:00.001+05:30



SUMMARY POP advantages - messages load very quickly once they're downloaded - messages are stored on your hard drive so they're not subject to server storage limits and quotas - widely supported by ISPs and email providers - all email programs support it POP disadvantages - messages are stored on your hard drive so they're not accessible from other computers - sent mail and drafts are not accessible from other computers either - messages are eventually removed from the server - messages are stored in files that are not compatible between different programs - it's usually difficult to migrate from one program to another, sometimes impossible - it's cumbersome to copy your email to another computer (office, home, school, laptop, etc.) - users normally don't have backups of their email IMAP advantages - messages are stored on the server are accessible from any computer and webmail anywhere in the world - IMAP mail folders remain synchronized with IMP (webmail) - sent messages and drafts are also stored on the server - server-side spam filtering is easily implemented with IMAP - IMAP mail is backed up nightly on the server and can be restored - ease of migration from a program to a program and from a computer to another computer/location - ease of setting up additional computers to check your email, no need to copy anything fro one computer to another IMAP disadvantages - messages load slower, in particular the first time they're read - sensitive to size and requires periodic archival of email messages - subject to storage quotas (not the case with Saturn, however) - very few ISPs and email providers offer IMAP as it is considered a high end option and it's complex for them to support - not all email programs support it properly

Site that shows actual product size on screen?

2009-05-16T22:51:00.001+05:30

A site that allowed you to see an item as actual size on screen

http://pective.com/

Demystify Cookies With IECookiesView

2009-04-29T16:26:00.001+05:30

If you want to get more information about the cookies used by Internet Explorer on your PC, give IECookiesView a try. This small, simple, free utility shows you details about every IE-related cookie, and gives you a variety of tools for better managing them.

The program lists every cookie, and shows you each cookie's values. You can sort the cookies, delete cookies you don't want, and even find individual cookies by search for a Web site in the program. It will then list all the cookies associated with that site.

If you know a great deal about cookies, you can even edit them. True, few people know what values to change, but if you're one of those, you'll appreciate this program.

Source: Pcworld

Find Duplicate Songs

2009-04-29T16:24:00.001+05:30

There are plenty of good programs for finding duplicate files--based on file name, size, and checksums--but finding duplicate songs can be trickier. After all, if you have the same recording in .mp3 and .m4a formats, you've got duplicate songs that are not duplicate files.

So you need to search by metadata--the extra information that defines the contents of a file. Specifically, you need a program that can matches songs with the same title and by the same artist (because Smash Mouth's "I'm a Believer" is not a duplicate of the Monkees' original.)

You'll also have to remember that no list of duplicate songs generated by software will be perfect. A program may not realize that Beatles and The Beatles are the same group. Nor can it always differentiate between the original studio recording and the live concert version. (I've known Dead Heads with probably ten versions of "Brokedown Palace.")

But the right program can give you reasonably accurate lists to work through. Here are three I can recommend:

iTunes: Well, no, I wouldn't recommend you download and install iTunes just for this purpose, but if you're already using it, you've got a pretty good search tool. Just select File • Show Duplicates. If you have the same song as an .mp3 and a .m4a, iTunes will list both, but it won't find any .wma versions.

Duplicate Cleaner: This free duplicate finder from DigitalVolcano has some worthwhile musical features. Once you've pointed it to your music folder, select the Music Search option. Underneath that, I recommend you check Artist and Title and uncheck Album, then click Go. But there's a serious flaw: Duplicate Cleaner doesn't consider songs duplicate if they're in different formats. In my tests, a .wma and an .mp3 of the same song didn't turn up together.

Abee MP3 Duplicate Finder: If you're willing to shell out $20, and all of your music is in .mp3, .wma, and/or .ogg files, this is your best choice (or at least the best one I know of). Abee lets you search for duplicates or "similar files," and with the later option, you get some very smart choices. You can control the degree of Artist and Title similarity (that Beatles vs. The Beatles issue) and set how much of a time difference is allowed. Once it gives you list of likely duplicates, it offers plenty of options for playing, deleting, or moving the files. (Click the image for a closer look).

Source : Pcworld

Delete the Contents of a Folder Without Even Opening It

2009-04-29T16:16:00.001+05:30

Delete the Contents of a Folder Without Even Opening It

Okay, but what if you want a quick and easy way to clear out a folder while leaving the folder itself intact?

Sure, you can open the folder, tap Ctrl-A to "select all" files, and then hit the Delete key. But for fans of right-click context menus (you know who you are), there's another way. By making a simple change to the Windows Registry, you can add a function called Delete Folder Contents. It's great for those times when you want to empty a folder without trashing the folder itself--and without even opening it first.

One word of caution: Any time you monkey with the Registry, there's a risk of messing up Windows. It's a tiny risk, and I've performed this hack myself with no problems to report, but I just wanted you to be aware.

Here's the process:

1. Click Start, type regedit in the search box, and then hit Enter.

2. In Regedit, go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell

3. Right-click on shell, choose New, Key, and name it Delete Folder Contents.

4. Right-click on the new Delete Folder Contents key, choose New, Key, and name it command.

5. In the right pane, double-click on the Default string value, and then copy/paste this text: cmd /c "cd /d %1 && del /s /q *.*

6. Click OK, exit the Registry, and you're good to go.

Now you can right-click on any folder (without actually opening it first) and you should see the new Delete Folder Contents option.

Source: Pcworld

How to Check Indian Currency Notes

2009-03-28T08:11:00.004+05:30

5 Websites To Watch High Quality Hollywood Movies Online For Free

2009-03-22T06:20:00.003+05:30

One of the best ways to relax from the hectic work schedules and stressful days is to watch movies. And that too if we get chance to watch the movies without going to a movie theatre then it is more comfortable. Especially on the weekdays if you want to see a movie after work, then watching movies online is the best way. So here are the few best web sites that offer high quality/divx quality movie streams online for free.

watch-movies.net

Watch Movie is one of my favourites as it has a huge collection of movie streaming database and excellent community support to pick the right streaming links. You can find free streaming of almost every new Hollywood movie on this web site.

This website is very unique compared to other movie streaming site because

Multiple Source: The site provides links to multiple movie streaming sources. If one movie stream is not working properly you can switch to the other stream.
Movie Rating: The rating of movie provided on the site are very accurate and they give you a hint on whether a movie is good enough to spend your valuable time or not.
Movie Stream Rating: Each movie streamed on the site has multiple source and each source is rated based on the availability and quality parameters. So you are well informed to choose a good quality stream once you land on the home page of a movie stream.

Joox.net

Joox.net has a good collection of DivX quality movies that appeal to wide range of audience. At Joox you can not only watch your favourite Hollywood movies of different categories(Animation, Cartoon, documentary, etc) but also you can watch Bollywood Movies and TV Shows.

Joox does not host any of the movies streamed on the site. All the movies are hosted on http://stage6.divx.com/, a YouTube like video sharing website for high quality videos.

In order to view movies on Joox, you need to install a plugin from stage6. Joox is definitely a reliable source for watching Hollywood movies online.

66stage.com

66stage.com is another good website to watch latest Hollywood movies. Along with movie 66Stage has an up to date collection of high quality streaming TV Shows, Documentaries, Comedy Shows, Anime, Cartoons.

Like joox.net this website also does not have community support.

emol.org

Love to watch classic Hollywood movies? This is the site which you should bookmark. emol has an excellent collection of classic movies and TV shows.

Like the type of movie streams available on emol, the web design is also very classic. The layout and structure of emol website is very classic(like websites of 90s). So you may find little difficult to identify where to identify the movies and play them.

movierumor.com

Movie Rumor is another good source for latest Hollywood movie online streams.This site also hosts links to multiple sources of a same movie so that we can switch the streams if one fails.

These are the top 5 of best free high quality movie streaming source we are able to identify on the internet. If any of your favourite movie streaming web site is missing in this list please let us hear through comments.

7 Websites To Listen High Quality Bollywood Hindi Songs Online For Free

2009-03-22T06:20:00.001+05:30

As Bollywood films and music are becoming increasing popular world wide, many web sites started offering legally free access to listen to Bollywood Hindi songs. We can find dozens of web sites that offer legally free music streaming but only very few are providing good quality streaming with minimal or very less pop-ups ads.

Here are the few best web sites that offer high quality Bollywood Hindi MP3 songs streaming for free

in.com

in.com web site is from the popular web18 Venture that also owns Indian news channels CNN IBN & IBN Live. The user interface of in.com is the best when compared to the rest of the web sites that offer free music streaming. The quality of songs streaming, esthetic look and feel with web 2.0 standards makes in.com to stand out from other sites. Personally in.com is my favourite web site to listen to the latest Bollywood songs.

The downside of the web site is the lack of huge collection of albums. The number of music albums available are considerably small when compared to other web sites. But if you are looking for latest Bollywood Hindi songs then in.com is the best place to hang around.

Raaga.com

Raaga is one of the first web sites that started offering free music online. It's been around for several years and has a huge collection of songs. Almost every Hindi Movie Album, Private Albums, Ghazals are available for streaming.

You should install Real Player plug-in (i don't like this software) to listen to the songs. Also the pop-up ads are very notorious, you need a pop-up blocker software to browser through this site.

MusicIndiaOnline.com

MusicIndiaOnline.com has a very good collection of Bollywood Hindi songs for streaming. But the web site does not follow any of the web 2.0 standards. The layout is very plain and advertisements are slapped top, left & bottom of every page.

Apart from providing free streaming of Bollywood Hindi songs, the web site also features music reviews, most popular songs lists( current top 10 & 20 songs).

DhinGaNa.com

At Dhingana.com you can not only listen to Bollywood Hindi songs but also you can build a social network with people who loves music. Dhingana platform allow you to discover new music and share it with your friends easily.

To play your favourite movie songs you can explore Alphabetical Album List or Recent Album List or Most Listened Album List. Also there is an option to filter the movie albums based on the time - Today, This Week, This Month and All Time

MusicPlug.in

I love the domain name of this site as it is chosen creatively like del.icio.us. The site has good collection of Bollywood Hindi Songs with zero pop-up ads. Another nice feature is that it offers high quality music playback for high speed Internet connections and medium quality music quality playback for low speed Internet connections.

Dishant.com

This is another source for good Hindi music online.

Rediff Music

Rediff, the popular portal for Indian news, movies, reviews, classifieds and shopping, offers free music streaming. But the user interface is so unusable you never think of going to this site until or unless they have the songs that are not available anywhere else on the web.

These are the web sites that I came across and personally used to listen to songs online. Hope you will also find these web sites useful to listen music.

What are your favourite web sites to listen Hindi songs? If we missed any of your favourite sites lets us hear through comments.

8 Websites To Watch High Quality Bollywood/Hindi Movies Online For Free

2009-03-22T06:18:00.001+05:30

Hindi movies, also widely known as Bollywood movies, are becoming very popular across the globe. The colorful and musical movies of Bollywood are a good watch to relax and refresh. As long as we are in India we can watch Bollywood movies in the theaters near by. But it is very tough to see the movies if we are away from India. Even though major cities across the globe has theaters to screen Hindi movies, it is very difficult to watch Bollywood movies there.

The best place to watch Hindi movies when we are away from India is to see them online. There are thousands of websites the provide free streaming of movies (lets not get in to the legalities of these sites), but finding good sites is a tough job. So in order to help you to find right websites that offers DVD/HD quality of Bollywood movie streams online for free, here are we are presenting 8 best websites.

1. bharatmovies.com

Bharat Movies offers a huge collection of Bollywood movies online for free. The movies collection include all the new releases as well as old hits. Majority of the movies are provided in good quality and for easily identifying the quality of movies, tags like DVD, DVD HQ are set to them.

The UI of the website is very simple and clean. You can locate the latest movies in the section "Just Released Hindi Movies" and the recently uploaded movies are available in the section "Newly Added Hindi Movies". Also the movies are grouped based on the actor and actress. So if you want to see any of the Aamir Khan's movie, you can open the page dedicated to the actor and select one among his best movies.

2. apnaview.com

apnaview is another good source for watching Hindi movies online for free of cost. Apart from having a good collection of videos, the user interface of the web is very friendly and there is no doubt that the website is designed by professionals.

You can browse through the Latest Movies section to find new releases or through "Random Movies" section if you are looking for a random movie. Also the user reviews posted for each movie helps us in understanding the quality of the video stream and alternative links if any of the movie links are broken.

apnaview offers us variety of ways to keep track of new movies added to the site. You can subscribe to their RSS feeds or newsletters. Even though movies are not arranged by genre/year/artist, the search feature of the site allows you to easily identify the links to watch the movie you are looking for.

3. Watch-Movies-Links.net

Watch-Movies-Links, earlier known as Wath-Movies.net, is a very popular site for online movie streaming. We featured this site in the post 5 websites to watch high quality Hollywood movies. This is one of the best sources I've ever come across to see movies and its my favorite too. Even though this website concentrates more on Hollywood movies, they have a good collection of Bollywood movies under the genre hindi.

When you first open the Hindi movies page of the website you might not find the latest movies in the front page. Use the search box and you will be able to find all the latest Bollywood releases for free streaming.

4. 123onlinemovies.com

This website has a good collection of Bollywood movies that are organized alphabetically. But the movies are not organized by the genre or release dates. So browsing latest movie releases is tough if you don't know the names.

Movie videos are embedded on the site as well as links are available external streaming sources. As each movies has multiple links, the chances of finding working and good quality links are high. It's worth giving a try to this website.

5. interval.in

Interval.in host huge collection of Bollywood movies and the home page of the website has links to view almost all the new releases. Each movie has only one source, if that is broken you have to head towards other sites given in this post.

6. hindimoviesonline.tv

This is the only website that I've come across till now that organizes Bollywood movies based on Genre(like Action/Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family, Romance, etc). Like other websites that offer free Hindi movie streaming, this site also has a good collection of movies to pickup for viewing.

7. bhejafry.net

BhejFry offers good quality links to see Hindi movies. Most of the movies hosted on this sites are uploaded to video sharing site DailyMotion and they are organized in a jukebox style to continuously watch the movie if the movie is spitted across files.

8. MovieDesi.com

MovieDesi is another source worth checking for watching Bollywood movies online. This website does not host any videos on its own. They just collects the links of movie streaming sources and organizes them in a friendly manner. For most of the movies you find more than one streaming source link to watch the movie.

Compared to other sites, this site is not up to the date with new movie releases and they have around 400+ movie source links as I write this post.

Source: techdream.org

How to Put DVD and Video on Creative Zen

2009-03-20T00:15:00.001+05:30

As a crazy Creative Zen fan, I have used Creative Zen for almost a year and in order to help Creative Zen user to know how to add DVD and video on Creative Zen, I spent few hours to write this guide.
It includes two parts:
Part 1. How to put DVD on your Creative Zen
Part 2. How to put video on your Creative Zen
Preparation:
Actually, Creative Zen can only play 4 kinds of video format (MJPEG, WMV9, MPEG4-SP, and AVI), so you can not put DVD and other video on Creative Zen and play them. If you want to enjoy your DVD on your Creative Zen you have to convert them into Zen supptorted video format.
Here I recommend you Aiseesoft http://www.aiseesoft.com/dvd-to-creative-zen-suite.html (DVD to Creative Zen Suite).It contains a http://www.aiseesoft.com/dvd-to-creative-zen-converter.html (DVD to Creative Zen Converter) and a http://www.aiseesoft.com/video-converter-for-creative-zen.html (Video Converter for Creative Zen)
(IMAGE: http://www.aiseesoft.com/images/guide/creative-zen-suite/start.jpg)
Part 1. How to put DVD on your Creative Zen
(IMAGE: http://www.aiseesoft.com/images/guide/creative-zen-suite/dvd.jpg)
Step 1. Load DVD
Click "Load DVD" button or "File" to choose load DVD (You can also choose load DVD folder and load IFO fiel)
Step 2. Video settings
Select the output video format you need from the "Profile" drop-down list. Click "Settings" button to set your video and audio parameters.
Step 3. More Functions
You can also do trim, crop and effect DVD, merge your selected chapters into one file, capture your favorite pictures
After doing the above 3 steps you can click "Start" button to start your conversion.
Part 2. How to put video on your Creative Zen
(IMAGE: http://www.aiseesoft.com/images/guide/creative-zen-suite/video.jpg)
Step 1. Add Video
You can add you video that you want to convert by clicking "Add File" or "File" to chosse "Add File"
Step 2. Settings and Output Format
From the "Profile" drop-down list you can find one format that meets your requirement. To have your own video settings you can click "settings" button.
OK, click the "Start" button to begin your conversion.
Tips:
1.      Trim
There are 3 ways that you can trim your video.
a.      You can drag the buttons(1) to set the start and end time
b.      You can preview the video first and when you want to start trim click the left one of the pair buttons (2) when you         want to end click the right one.
c.      You can set the exact start and end time on the right side of the pop-up window.
(IMAGE: http://www.aiseesoft.com/images/guide/creative-zen-suite/trim.jpg)
2. Crop
There are 3 ways that you can crop your video.
a.      We provide 7 modes on our "Crop Mode"(1)
b.      You can set your own mode on the right side of the pop-up window(2)
c.      You can drag frame to set your own crop mode(3)
(IMAGE: http://www.aiseesoft.com/images/guide/creative-zen-suite/crop.jpg)
3.       Snapshot and merge into one file
If you like the current image of the video you can use the "Snapshot" option. Just click the "Snapshot" button the image will be saved and you can click the "Open" button next to "Snapshot" button to open your picture. (1)
If you want to make several files output as one you can choose "Merge into one file". (2)
(IMAGE: http://www.aiseesoft.com/images/guide/creative-zen-suite/merge.jpg)

Automate Your Desktop Wallpaper Switching With Latest Flickr Photos

2009-03-13T13:39:00.001+05:30

It's probably the most important image on your computer, so do it justice… Here is the very tiny and powerful tool to take your simple desktop wallpaper to the next level!

According to Hitwise, Photo sharing site Flickr is now the 2nd largest photo site behind Photobucket. No surprise then that it's an excellent resource for beautiful wallpapers.

So, we've gathered you up a free tool that can automate the whole process of fetching and decorating your desktop with latest online photos from Flickr.

Settings can be for just about every time setting you can think of.You can pick where you want to choose photos from using the buttons on the left side buttons of the settings window.The tray icon also lets you to pause switching, view all downloaded photos.

Your background can show one image, four images in a 2×2 grid, or hundreds of thumbnails at once. Images can change after a specified number of minutes, hours or days, or even at a specific time of day. And if you have multiple monitors, it can show different images on each display.

Download the Application

Source : techdream

Know Your PF Transfer /Withdrawal Status Online [Indian Website]

2009-03-13T13:36:00.001+05:30

It was a pain for all of us to know the status of PF transfer /withdrawal once it is initiated. We had to wait for a long time and there would not be any clue of whether transfer would happen or not. But now we have got a chance to see PF Transfer/Withdrawl status online. The Indian government has created a web site where we can check the details regarding our PF transfer /withdrawal. All we have to know is our PF account number given in our previous office.

Click here to know your PF withdrawal/transfer status.Select the state and the exact place where you were working previously. Provide the establishment code which is available in your PF account number. For example if your PF account number is TN/12345/2003, then your establishment code is 12345. Once you provide this establishment code in the appropriate place, the name of your previous employer appears below the column which confirms that you have entered the establishment code correctly. Finally provide your employee id of your previous company and then click the "Get Claim Status" to know the status of your PF transfer /withdrawal.

Website to check PF Transfer/Withdrawl status

Source : /www.techdreams.org

Train Information on railways

2009-03-10T13:42:00.001+05:30

This is really amazing guys! Just try this.

Add cleartrip.trains@gmail.com to your Gtalk friend list.

Check the Availability in the trains along with the fare .

Hi! I am cleartrip's trains search bot. Say 'help' for a brief help message. Say 'commands' for list of commands. if you find it useful or have any suggestions say 'feedback your message'. Invite your friends by saying 'invite gmail_ids'

Hi there! I am cleartrip's train search bot. I can search trains for you.
Tell me your journey details like this: 'Mumbai New Delhi Mar 11 3A'
ME : Chandigarh Jaipur March 28 3A

cleartrip.trains: Searching for trains between Chandigarh and Jaipur on 28 Mar class 3A
5632 – Ghy bme bkn exp Rs. 605, @ 14:35 [ ]

2307 – Hwh==ju==exp Rs. 635, @ 15:30 [Waitlist 6]

4218 – Unchahar exp Rs. 782, @ 16:25 [Available 45]

To check availability say 'avail' followed by train number To book say 'book' followed by train number and passenger details. Ex. 'book 2925 adult 1 child 1 senior female 1'

Hope it makes the work easier.

6 Best Alternatives of Windows Media Player

2009-03-10T13:35:00.001+05:30

VLC Media Player :

VLC (initially VideoLAN Client) is a highly portable multimedia player for various audio and video formats, including MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, MP3, and OGG, as well as for DVDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols. It also can be used as a server for unicast or multicast streams in IPv4 or IPv6 on a high-bandwidth network. The most prominent additions to version 0.8.6 are probably Windows Media Video 9 and Flash Video. Other important changes are improved H.264 decoding, better Windows Unicode support, and a full-screen.

2. KMPlayer :

The KMPlayer is all-in-one media player covering various formats such as VCD, DVD, AVI, MKV, Ogg, OGM, 3GP, MPEG-1/2/4, WMV, RealMedia, QuickTime etc. It has an extra feature to play Incomplete/Damaged AVI file, Locked Media Files while downloading or sharing, Compressed Audio Album (zip, rar) and so on. It handles a wide range of subtitles and allows you to capture audio, video, and screenshots in many ways. The player provides both internal and external filters with a fully controlled environment without grappling with DirectShow merit system. The player can set multifarious audio and video effects, control playback speed and octave, select parts of a video as favorites, do a powerful A-B repeat, remap the keys of remote interface for HTPC including overlay screen controls, change a skin dynamically depending on a media type playing, and many more. It is completely customizable thanks to a wide selection of skins and color schemes, and configuration options are extensive.

3. Media Player Classic :

Media Player Classic is the perfect substitute for Windows Media Player. Aestetically is identical to version 6.4 and has the same lightness in terms of RAM occupation, but it has much more usefull functions. Features: with 'right' and 'left' keys it's possible to go forward/backward of one single frame; with 'Ctrl + right'/'left' it's possible to skip one predefinite quantity of frames; with 'Ctrl + up' it's possible to change faster the speed of reproduction; it's possible to visualize with media player Quicktime and RealMedia movies (but that programs must be installed); in full screen modality it's possible to show a scroll bar putting the mouse in the lower portion of the screen; in full screen it's possible to do the redimension images and adopt a cinema format or a TV format; it work as a DVD player too; keys are completely customizable; it can show subtitles.

4. GOM Player :

GOM Player (Gretech Online Movie Player) is a freeware media player for Microsoft Windows. It is the primary client player for South Korean GOM-TV and is more popular in South Korea than any other media player. Key strengths are the ability to play the majority of media files without the need to obtain a codec, and the ability to play some broken media files, both advantages over traditional players, like Windows Media Player. GOM player can also play .flv files.

5. ZoomPlayer :

Zoom Player can be compared to a game of chess, it can be learned by a 4-year old in minutes, but it may take a lifetime to explore its feature rich yet unbloated capabilities.
Zoom Player supports every format imaginable (AVI, DIVX, XVID, MPEG, Flac Audio, Monkey Audio, Matroska, Windows Media, OGM, RealMedia, QuickTime, Flash and more), updated on a regular basis (new stable beta releases every few weeks), every feature is fully documented, supports all the latest playback technologies (Multi Monitor, VMR9, P2P Video Preview) and sports one of the most active support forums you can imagine. Designed for use as an every day media player and all the way up to a Home Theater PC control center. Special TV Viewing features allowing easy remote control of your media playing experience. From Newbie to Guru, Zoom Player is for you.

6. BSPlayer :

BS.player is a Windows based multimedia player that plays all types of media files (AVI / MPG / ASF / WMV / WAV / AVCHD / FLV YouTube videos / MP3) and specializes in video and DivX playback. Main features: display subtitles, support custom subtitles position, color, font, transparency, supported formats: MicroDVD, subviewer, SubRip; fully skinnable - any shape, transparent skins; resizable movie window; multilingual, drag & drop support; command line support; pan-scan and custom pan-scan option; custom aspect ratios; playlist support; resolution changing; frame capture; AVI files with more than 2 audio streams supported (multilanguage); support for OGM files, including more then 2 audio/video tracks, supports embeded subtitles/chapters; external audio file supported; S/PDIF output supported for AC3 files.

Blogs & Sharefolder

2009-03-01T08:42:00.001+05:30

My blog

Tech-supports

Esnips

4shared

scribd

Stock Markets Basics

2009-03-01T08:33:00.002+05:30

Stock Market Basics (4shared.com)

Stock market Basics (Esnips.com)

you get signal

2009-03-01T08:28:00.002+05:30

http://www.yougetsignal.com/

How to run application from Limited account using Admin rights?

2009-02-25T21:25:00.001+05:30

Use the run as command.

runas /user:administrator notepad.exe

runas /user:administraotr mspaint.exe

Public Provident fund

2009-02-08T01:27:00.001+05:30

The Public Provident Fund Scheme is a statutory scheme of the Central
Government of India.
The Scheme is for 15 years.
The rate of interest is 8% compounded annually.
The minimum deposit is 500/- and maximum is Rs. 70,000/- in a financial year.
One deposit with a minimum amount of Rs.500/- is mandatory in each financial year.
The deposit can be in lumpsum or in convenient installments, not more than 12 Installments in a year or two installments in a month subject to total deposit of Rs.70,000/-.
It is not necessary to make a deposit in every month of the year. The amount of deposit can be varied to suit the convenience of the account holders.
The account in which deposits are not made for any reasons is treated as discontinued account and such account can not be closed before maturity.
The discontinued account can be activated by payment of minimum deposit of Rs.500/- with default fee of Rs.50/- for each defaulted year.
Account can be opened by an individual or a minor through the guardian.
Joint account is not permissible.
Those who are contributing to GPF Fund or EDF account can also open a PPF account.
A Power of attorney holder can neither open or operate a PPF account.
The grand father/mother cannot open a PPF behalf of their minor
grand son/daughter.
The deposits shall be in multiple of Rs.5/- subject to minimum amount of Rs.500/-.
The deposit in a minor account is clubbed with the deposit of the account of the Guardian for the limit of Rs.70,000/-.
No age is prescribed for opening a PPF account.
Interest is not contractual but rate is notified by Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India, at the end of each year.
The facility of first withdrawal in the 7th year of the account subject to a limit of 50% of the amount at credit preceding three year balance. Thereafter one Withdrawal in every year is permissible.
Pre-mature closure of a PPF Account is not permissible except in case of death.
Nominee/legal heir of PPF Account holder on death of the account holder can not continue the account, but account had to be closed.
The account holder has an option to extend the PPF account for any period in a block of 5 years on each time.
The account holder can retain the account after maturity for any period without making any further deposits. The balance in the account will continue to earn interest at normal rate as admissible on PPF account till the account is closed.
One withdrawal in each financial year is also admissible in such account.
The PPF scheme is operated through Post Office and Nationalized banks.
PPF account can be opened either in Post Office or in a Bank.
Account is transferable from one Post office to another and from Post office to Bank and from Bank to Post office.
Account is transferable from one Bank to another bank as well as within the bank to any branch.
Deposits in PPF qualify for rebate under section 80-C of Income Tax Act.
The interest on deposits is totally tax free.
Deposits are exempt from wealth tax.
The balance amount in PPF in PPF account is not subject to attachment under any order or decree of court in respect of any debt or liability.
Nomination facility available.
Best for long term investment.

Kisan Vikas Patra

2009-02-08T01:26:00.001+05:30

Minimum Investment Rs. 500/- No maximum limit.
Rate of interest 8.40% compounded annually.
Money doubles in 8 years and 7 months.
Two adults, Individuals and minor through guardian can purchase.
Companies, Trusts, Societies and any other Institution not eligible to purchase.
Non-Resident Indian/HUF are not eligible to purchase.
Facility of encashment from 2 ½ years.
Maturity proceeds not drawn are eligible to Post office Savings account interest for a
maximum period of two years.
Facility of reinvestment on maturity.
Patras can be pledged as security against a loan to Banks/Govt. Institutions.
Patras are encashable at any Post office before maturity by way of transfer to desired
Post office.
Patras are transferable to any Post office in India.
Patras are transferable from one person to another person before maturity
Duplicate can be issued for lost, stolen, destroyed, mutilated and defaced patras.
Nomination facility available.
Facility of purchase/payment of Kisan vikas Patras to the holder of Power of attorney.
Rebate under section 80 C not admissible.
Interest income taxable but no TDS
Deposits are exempt from Wealth tax.

National Savings Certificate

2009-02-08T01:25:00.003+05:30

Minimum investment Rs. 500/- No maximum limit.
Rate of interest 8% compounded half yearly.
Rs. 1000/- grow to Rs. 1601/- in six years.
Two adults, Individuals, and minor through guardian can purchase.
Companies, Trusts, Societies and any other Institutions not eligible to purchase.
Non-resident Indian/HUF can not purchase.
No pre-mature encashment.
Annual interest earned is deemed to be reinvested and qualifies for tax rebate for first 5 years under section 80 C of Income Tax Act.
Maturity proceeds not drawn are eligible to Post Office Savings account interest for a maximum period of two years.
Facility of reinvestment on maturity.
Certificate can be pledged as security against a loan to banks/ Govt. Institutions.
Facility of encashment of certificates through banks.
Certificates are encashable any Post office in India before maturity by way of transfer to desired post office.
Certificates are transferable from one Post office to any Post office.
Certificates are transferable from one person to another person before maturity.
Duplicate Certificate can be issued for lost, stolen, destroyed, mutilated or defaced certificate.
Nomination facility available.
Facility of purchase/payment to the holder of Power of attorney.
Tax Saving instrument - Rebate admissible under section 80 C of Income Tax Act.
Interest income is taxable but no TDS
Deposits are exempt from Wealth tax.

Senior Citizen's Saving Scheme - 2004

2009-02-08T01:25:00.001+05:30

OBJECTIVE OF THE SCHEME

We are all well aware that interest rate on Small Saving Scheme has been reduced to 5% in the last four years. The decline in interest rate was initiated from 1t January 2000. The interest rate on 31-12-1999 in Monthly Income Scheme was 13% which has come down to 8% with effect form 1.3.2003. The decrease in the interest rate has negative impact on the life of Senior Citizens. The dwindling interest income was cause of concern and hardship for them on the living conditions of the Senior Citizens. The interest income is a life time benefit for the senior citizens. The Budget for 2004-2005 presented in Parliament had two beneficiary aspects, as for as small Saving Schemes are concerned. The first one is that rats of interest on small savings which were unlikely to be expected to be reduced have been kept stable with no change in rate of interest in any Post Office scheme. The second beneficiary aspect was the introduction of Senior Citizen Saving Scheme-2004 with a higher rate of interest to any other small savings scheme which has come into operation from 2nd August 2004. The main objective of the scheme is to provide a relief to the senior citizens and to check the further decline in their interest income.

Minimum amount Rs20/- in case of non- cheque account, Rs.500/- in case of cheque account.
Minimum balance of Rs.500/- is to be maintained for a cheque account.
Account is opened with cash only.
Maximum balance permissible Rs. 1,00,000/- in a single account and 2,00,000/- in Joint account.
Two/Three adults, individuals, minor through guardian.
A Minor having 10 years of age can also open an account directly.
One individual account and one joint account can only be opened at a post office.

Post Office Time Deposit Account.

2009-02-08T01:24:00.001+05:30

Period	Rate of Interest
One Year	6.25%
Two years	6.50%
Three years	7.25%
Five years	7.50%

Interest is calculated quarterly but payable annually.
No interest is payable on undrawn interest amount.
Minimum amount of deposit is Rs.200/-. No maximum limit.
Account can be opened by an individual, two adults jointly and minor through guardian.
A Minor who has attained the age of 10 years can open the account in his/her own name to be operated directly.
Non Resident Indian / HUF can not open the account.
Any number of accounts can be opened.
Account can be closed after 6 months but before one year without any interest.
Two, three and Five years accounts can be closed after one year at a discounted rate of interest.
Facility of redeposit on maturity of an account.
Deposits not drawn on maturity are eligible to saving account interest rate for a maximum period of two years.
Account can be pledged as security against a loan to banks/ Government institutions.
Accounts are transferable from one Post office to any Post office in India.
Rebate under section 80-C is not admissible.
Interest income is taxable.
Deposits are exempt from wealth tax.
No T.D.S.
Nomination facility available.

Post Office Monthly Income Scheme

2009-02-08T01:23:00.001+05:30

Interest rate of 8% per annum payable monthly.
Maturity period is 6 years.
Minimum investment amount is Rs.1000/- or in multiple thereof.
Maximum amount is Rs. 3 lacs in single account and Rs. 6 lacs in a joint account.
Account can be opened by an individual, two/three adults jointly and a minor through a guardian.
A minor having attained 10 years of age can open an account in his/her own name directly.
Non-Resident Indian / HUF cannot open the Account.
Minor has a separate limit of investment of Rs. 3 lacs and the same is not clubbed with the limit of guardian.
A separate account is opened for each deposit.
Any number of accounts can be opened subject to the maximum prescribed limit.
Facility of automatic credit of monthly interest to saving account if accounts are at the same post office.
Facility of premature closure of account after one year @ 3.50% discount.
No deduction of 3.5% if account is closed on completion of three years.
Facility of reinvestment on maturity of an account.
Interest not with-drawan does not carry any interest.
Maturity proceeds not drawn are eligible to saving account interest rate for a maximum period of two years.
Account is transferable from one post office to any Post office in India free of cost.
Nomination facility available.
Rebate under section 80 C not admissible.
Interest income is taxable, but no TDS
Only scheme in Post office where monthly interest is payable.
Most suitable scheme for senior citizens and for those who need regular monthly income.
Deposits are exempt from Wealth Tax

Happy Republic Day

2009-01-28T20:05:00.001+05:30

28 States & 7 Union Territories
1618 Languages
6400 Castes
6 Ethic Groups
29 Major Festivals
&
1 Country

Name: INDIA
Proud to be an INDIAN.

HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY.

Understanding Event Viewer

2009-01-05T21:42:00.001+05:30

Understanding Event Viewer

Using the event logs in Event Viewer, you can gather information about hardware, software, and system problems. You can also monitor Windows XP security events.

A computer running any version of Windows XP records events in three kinds of logs:

Application log

The application log contains events logged by applications or programs. For example, a database program might record a file error in the application log. Program developers decide which events to monitor.

Security log

The security log records events such as valid and invalid logon attempts, as well as events related to resource use such as creating, opening, or deleting files or other objects. An administrator can specify what events are recorded in the security log. For example, if you have enabled logon auditing, attempts to log on to the system are recorded in the security log.

System log

The system log contains events logged by Windows XP system components. For example, the failure of a driver or other system component to load during startup is recorded in the system log. The event types logged by system components are predetermined by Windows XP.

A computer running Windows configured as a domain controller records events in two additional logs:

Directory service log

The directory service log contains events logged by the Windows directory service. For example, connection problems between the server and the global catalog are recorded in the directory service log.

File Replication service log

The File Replication service log contains events logged by the Windows File Replication service. For example, file replication failures and events that occur while domain controllers are being updated with information about sysvol changes are recorded in the file replication log.

A computer running Windows configured as a Domain Name System (DNS) server records events in an additional log:

DNS server log

The DNS server log contains events logged by the Windows DNS service. Events associated with resolving DNS names to Internet Protocol (IP) addresses are recorded in this log.

Event Viewer displays these types of events:

Error

A significant problem, such as loss of data or loss of functionality. For example, if a service fails to load during startup, an Error event will be logged.

Warning

An event that is not necessarily significant, but may indicate a possible future problem. For example, when disk space is low, a Warning event will be logged.

Information

An event that describes the successful operation of an application, driver, or service. For example, when a network driver loads successfully, an Information event will be logged.

Success Audit

An audited security access attempt that succeeds. For example, a user's successful attempt to log on to the system will be logged as a Success Audit event.

Failure Audit

An audited security access attempt that fails. For example, if a user tries to access a network drive and fails, the attempt will be logged as a Failure Audit event.

The Event Log service starts automatically when you start Windows. All users can view application and system logs. Only administrators can gain access to security logs.

By default, security logging is turned off. You can use Group Policy to enable security logging. The administrator can also set auditing policies in the registry that cause the system to halt when the security log is full.

Man Vs Wild (Bear Grylls) Photo Gallery

2009-01-05T21:39:00.001+05:30

http://picasaweb.google.com/beargryllsphotos

Microsoft Certification Program

2009-01-05T21:38:00.000+05:30

Microsoft Certification Program

Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP , 1 EXAM)

Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA,3EXAM)

Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE,3EXAM)

Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer With specialization (1EXAM)

How to earn your MCSE on Windows Server 2003

To earn your MCSE on Windows Server 2003 certification, you must pass seven exams:

1 Four core exams on networking systems

2 One core exam on client operating systems

3 One core design exam

4 One elective exam

Related job titles: systems engineer, network engineer, systems analyst, network analyst, or technical consultant.

Core exams on networking systems (all 4 are required)

Exam 70-290: Managing and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Environment.

Exam 70-291: Implementing, Managing, and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure.

Exam 70-293: Planning and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure.

Exam 70-294: Planning, Implementing, and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Active Directory Infrastructure.

Core exams on client operating systems (choose one)

Exam 70-620⁶: TS: Windows Vista, Configuring .

Exam 70-270: Installing, Configuring, and Administering Windows XP Professional.

Exam 70-210^1,2 : Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional.

Core design exams (choose one)

Exam 70-297³: Designing a Windows Server 2003 Active Directory and Network Infrastructure

Exam 70-298³: Designing Security for a Windows Server 2003 Network

Elective exams (choose one)

Exam 70-299: Implementing and Administering Security in a Windows Server 2003 Network

How to earn your MCSE: Messaging on Windows Server 2003

To earn your MCSE: Messaging on Windows Server 2003 certification, you must pass eight exams:

1 Four core exams on networking systems (same as MCSE)

2 One core exam on client operating systems (same as MCSE)

3 One design exam (same as MCSE)

4 Two messaging specialization exams

Messaging exams (both are required)

Exam 70-284⁴: Implementing and Managing Microsoft Exchange Server 2003

Exam 70-285⁴: Designing a Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Organization

How to earn the MCSE: Security on Windows Server 2003

To earn your MCSE: Security on Windows Server 2003 certification, you must pass eight exams:

1 Four core exams on networking systems (same as MCSE)

2 One core exam on client operating systems (same as MCSE)

3 One security design exam (same as MCSE)

4 Two security specialization exams

Security specialization exams (choose two)

Exam 70-299: Implementing and Administering Security in a Windows Server 2003 Network

Exam 70-227²: Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2000, Enterprise Edition

Exam 70-350: Implementing Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2004

Exam 70-351: TS: Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2006, Configuring

Difference between seeders, peers and leechers ?

2009-01-05T21:30:00.002+05:30

Seeder

A seeder is a peer that has a complete copy of the torrent and still offers it for upload. The more seeders there are, the better the chances are for completion of the file.

Seeders (Uploaders):- The one who are Seeding torrents

Peer

A peer is one instance of a BitTorrent client running on a computer on the Internet to which other clients connect and transfer data. Usually a peer does not have the complete file, but only parts of it. However, in the colloquial definition, "peer" can be used to refer to any participant in the swarm (in this case, it's synonymous with "client").

Leech

A leech is usually a peer who has a negative effect on the swarm by having a very poor share ratio - in other words, downloading much more than they upload. Most leeches are users on asymmetric internet connections and do not leave their BitTorrent client open to seed the file after their download has completed. However, some leeches intentionally avoid uploading by using modified clients or excessively limiting their upload speed. The term leech, however, can be used simply to describe a peer - or any client that does not have 100% of the data.

Leechers (Downloader):- The one who are leeching from Seeders.

What is That which we saw peers 50(120) ?
It means, Total of 120peers & you are connected to 50 of them.

CompTIA certification

2008-12-09T09:59:00.001+05:30

About CompTIA Certification Exams
CompTIA serves the IT industry as the world's largest developer of vendor-neutral IT certification exams. Since establishing the certification program in 1993, more than one million CompTIA certifications have been earned worldwide. Currently, CompTIA offers certifications in PC hardware, networking, servers, e-Business, convergence, project management, training, Linux, security, digital home technology, document imaging and RFID.

CompTIA A+ Certification
Earning CompTIA A+ certification proves that a candidate has the latest skills needed by today's computer support professionals. CompTIA A+ confirms a technician's ability to perform tasks such as installation, configuration, diagnosing, preventive maintenance and basic networking. The exams also cover domains such as security, safety and environmental issues and communication and professionalism.

CompTIA Network+ Certification
Earning a CompTIA Network+ certification demonstrates that a candidate can describe the features and functions of networking components, and possesses the knowledge and skills needed to install, configure and troubleshoot basic networking hardware, protocols and services. The exam tests technical ability in the areas of media and topologies, protocols and standards, network implementation and network support.

CompTIA Security+ Certification
Earning a CompTIA Security+ certification demonstrates proof of knowledge and expertise in security topics, such as communication security, infrastructure security, cryptography, access control, authentication, external attack and operational and organization security.

CompTIA RFID+ Certification
Earning a CompTIA RFID+ certification validates an RFID technician's knowledge and skills in the areas of installation, maintenance, repair, and upkeep of hardware and software functionality of RFID products.

CompTIA Server+ Certification
Earning a CompTIA Server+ certification validates advanced-level technical competency of server issues and technology; including installation, configuration, upgrading, maintenance, environment, and troubleshooting and disaster recovery. This certification is intended for mid to upper-level technicians.

CompTIA e-Biz+ Certification
Earning a CompTIA e-Biz+ certification proves that a candidate knows the basic concepts, key issues and critical technologies of e-business. CompTIA e-Biz+ is designed for technical and non-technical individuals who work in an e-business environment. The exam is only available in Korean and Japanese languages.

CompTIA CTT+ Certification
Earning a CompTIA CTT+ certification proves excellence in preparation, presentation, communication, facilitation and evaluation in a classroom environment. CompTIA CTT+ is a two-part exam: computer-based and video-based.

CompTIA CDIA+ Certification
Earning a CompTIA Certified Document Imaging Architech (CDIA+) certification validates expertise in the technologies and best practices used to plan, design, and specify a document imaging and management system.

CompTIA Linux+ Certification
Earning a CompTIA Linux+ certification proves that a candidate can explain fundamental open source resources/licenses, demonstrate knowledge of user administration, understand file permissions/software configurations and manage local storage devices and network protocols.

CompTIA Project+ Certification
Earning a CompTIA Project+ certification validates fundamental project management skills. It covers the entire project life cycle from initiation and planning through execution, acceptance, support and closure.

CompTIA Convergence+ Certification
Earning a CompTIA Convergence+ certification proves knowledge and skills in the area of Communications Technologies (CT), where datacomm, telephony/telecommunications, video and broadcast multimedia technologies combine into a single IP-based delivery system.

CEA-CompTIA DHTI+ Certification
Earning a CEA-CompTIA DHTI+ certification demonstrates that a candidate can configure, integrate, maintain, troubleshoot, and comprehend the basic design concepts of electronic and digital home systems.

CompTIA PDI+ Certification
CompTIA PDI+ certification proves that a candidate has the knowledge and skills to provide basic support for printing and document imaging devices. The exam covers domains such as print and scan processes and components, basic electromechanical tools, color theory as well as the soft skills of customer service and professionalism and safety and environment.

How long does it take to download movies?

2008-09-24T07:34:00.001+05:30

It will always help if you have a fast Internet connection, but your download speed also depends on the speed of the server/source you are downloading a movie from. The following table should give you an idea of how long it would take to download a 700MB file (typical movie download) using your Internet connection under perfect circumstances.

Connection speed
56Kbps
128Kbps
256Kbps
512Kbps
1Mbps
2Mbps
10Mbps

Transfer speed
7 KB/s
16 KB/s
32 KB/s
64 KB/s
128 KB/s
256 KB/s
1.25 MB/s

Transfer time
28 hours, 27 mins
12 hours, 27 mins
6 hours, 13 mins
3 hours, 7 mins
1 hours, 33 mins
47 mins
12 mins

1Mbps is equivalent to 1000Kbps.

Please note that the transfer speeds and times quoted above are based on the maximum speed of your Internet connection. If you're downloading movies from a fast server/source then you might be able to achieve these transfer times, but in general your downloads will most likely take longer.

Protect your computer from Virus or Trojans

2008-09-17T22:01:00.001+05:30

Use a good anti-virus software: There are several free anti-virus softwares available which provide good protection to your computer. Some such anti-virus are AVG free edition , Avast , Kaspersky etc.
Update Anti-virus virus definitions regularly : Most of users just install the anti-virus and they feel that that's all what is needed to keep the computer safe. But that may not be sufficient. You need to regularly update the Virus-definitions of the anti-virus software to keep them up-to-date so that your computer is safe from even the latest viruses.
Run full system scan every week: This is a good practice to run a full system scan using your anti-virus software at-least once in a week. This ensures that nothing goes un-noticed.
Scan removable drives for viruses before using: Scan your pen-drives and CDs / DVDs before opening them.
Disable Auto-Play functionality for removable media:
Run Internet Explorer /Firefox in limited mode : If you run Internet Explorer / Firefox with default settings, it has capability to install anything including viruses and Trojans on your computer.
Don't open e-mail attachments from unknown people: This is one of the most common way of virus spreading. Not opening such attachments will save you from a lot of mess.
Disable preview mode in outlook / other email clients: We advice to disable the preview mode for Outlook / Thunderbird or other mail clients because of safety reasons. Let me put in simple words, when you open the preview, it will try to show all the content in preview, not even that, it will also try to execute any executable file if it is present as any attachment. So disabling preview mode can save you from such problems.

Quickly Launch Windows Control Panel Applets Like Add/Remove Programs, Date & Time, Display Properties

2008-09-10T22:32:00.003+05:30

Power users like keyboard shortcuts and commands to quickly access many things in Windows. They save lot of mouse clicks and time. In this post let us see how to quickly launch Control Panel Applets using Run Command window.

Just like any executable program, Control Panel applets can be launched from Run Command window. Each Control Panel applet is a .cpl file located in the folder %systemroot%\system32.

To launch Add/Remove Programs( Programs and Features in Vista ) type appwiz.cpl in Run Window and hit enter.

As the list of Control Panel Applets are very exhaustive we are listing down only few important applets. For full list of applets look for .cpl files in the folder %systemroot%\system32

access.cpl - Accessibility Controls
appwiz.cpl - Add/Remove Programs
bthprops.cpl - Bluetooth Devices
desk.cpl - Display Properties
firewall.cpl - Windows Firewall Settings
hdwwiz.cpl - Add Hardware Wizard
inetcpl.cpl - Configure Internet Explorer and Internet properties
intl.cpl - Regional Settings
javacpl.cpl - Java Control Panel
joy.cpl - Game Controllers
main.cpl - Mouse Properties and Settings
main.cpl,@1 - Keyboard Properties
mmsys.cpl - Sounds and Audio
ncpa.cpl - Network Properties
nusrmgr.cpl - User Accounts
powercfg.cpl - Power Configuration
sysdm.cpl - System Properties
wscui.cpl - Windows Security Center
powercfg.cpl - Power Configuration Settings
telephon.cpl - Phone and Modem Options
timedate.cpl - Date and Time Properties

Note: Few of the above listed control panel applets are available only on Windows Vista Operating system. So few may not execute on your Windows XP.

source

How To Quickly Create A Desktop Shortcut Of A Website In IE & Firefox

2008-09-10T22:23:00.002+05:30

Creating a desktop shortcut of a frequently visited web site saves you lot of time. In Firefox there is no direction menu option to create a desktop short but Internet Explorer 7.0 allows you to create one by following the menu path File->Send To-> Shortcut to Desktop. This is a traditional way. Now lets see another quick option that works in both IE and Firefox to create the desktop short cut.

Open the browser (IE/Firefox) and browse to the page that you want to create a short cut
Resize the browser so that you can see both desktop and browser
Drag and drop the small icon on the left of the address bar on your desktop. The shortcut will be created.

Now all you need to go to favourite website is to double click the desktop icon. You can even consider assigning a keyboard shortcut to the desktop shortcut icon to launch the favourite in much faster way.

Happy browsing!!

http://www.techdreams.org/

Reclaim Your Hard Disk Space By Deleting Garbage Using CCleaner. I Reclaimed 6 GB+

2008-09-10T22:21:00.005+05:30

The amount of garbage accumulated on the computer keeps growing as we install/uninstall applications, updates and browse the Internet. Few application un-installers does not remove all the files properly, application crashes leaves memory dumps, browsing Internet adds media files, cookies and other junk to cache folders. The garbage not only eats up our valuable Hard Disk space but also slows computer performance.

Here comes CCleaner, a free application to rescue our computers by deleting all the unwanted files. CCleaner scans the computer for unnecessary files like temporary logs, memory dumps, thumbnail cache, Internet and other useless files and deletes them permanently with a single click.

When I executed this application first time, I was surprised by the amount of garbage CCleaner identified on my personal laptop. It is 6 GB +. Yes, garbage on my laptop eaten up 7.5% of valuable 80 GB hard disk space. Here is the proof

Apart from deleting garbage from hard disk drive, CCleaner can also clean the registry by removing the unwanted entries.

Very quickly CC Cleaner occupied my list of most frequently used maintenance utilities. I often run this application to make sure that my computer is clean.

With very good intelligence of identifying useful files and very easy to use user interface, CC cleaner makes it a perfect cleaner.

Download CCleaner

Tip: By default CCleaner removes your web browser history, saved passwords, cookies and auto-completion settings. If you would like to keep all your web browser related settings and history, uncheck Internet Explorer from Windows tab and Firefox & Opera from Application Tab of CCleaner.

Note: While installing CCleaner make sure that Yahoo Tool Bar installation is unchecked if you don't like to install Yahoo Toolbar along with CCleaner.

http://www.techdreams.org/

Automate Your Desktop Wallpaper Switching With Latest Flickr Photos

2008-09-10T22:21:00.004+05:30

It's probably the most important image on your computer, so do it justice… Here is the very tiny and powerful tool to take your simple desktop wallpaper to the next level!

According to Hitwise, Photo sharing site Flickr is now the 2nd largest photo site behind Photobucket. No surprise then that it's an excellent resource for beautiful wallpapers.

So, we've gathered you up a free tool that can automate the whole process of fetching and decorating your desktop with latest online photos from Flickr.

Download the Application

http://www.techdreams.org/

Deleted Files Accidentally? Here Are 4 Best FREE Tools To Recover Them.

2008-09-10T22:19:00.002+05:30

How many times have you deleted important files permanently or emptied recycle bin, and then had a sinking feeling? I bet we all have done that at one time or other. And I've done that today at work.

But before hitting the panic button, I Googled few minutes and recovered the deleted files. There are many number of free applications that recover the deleted files. But here are the four notable applications that do the job very easily

1. Undelete Plus

Out of all the freeware application that recovers deleted files, Undelete Plus is my choice. The user interface is very simple and straight forward. The excellent grouping and filters provided in the left side panel allows us to easily locate the beloved file to recover.

Download and Install Undelete Plus

2. Restoration

Restoration is an easy to use application that does not even required installation. You can download it and launch the executable file to scan and recover the deleted files.

Download Restoration

3. PC Inspector File Recovery

Even though the user interface of PC Inspector File Recovery is not straight forward and friendly, it is very powerful in detecting and recovering the deleted files. After scanning the drive it presents the deleted files organised as folder structure for easy navigation. From the tree structure you can navigate and choose the deleted file/folder and click on the save icon ( the second icon in the left panel) to recover them.

Download and Install PC Inspector File Recovery

4. Recuva

Recuva pronounced as "Recover" has a step by step wizard user interface to guide the users to locate and recover the deleted files. The basic mode interface is very simple that shows the list of deleted files that can be recovered. When you switch to advanced mode you get options to view information of the delete files and re launch the scanning operation.

Download and Install Recuva

Source

Widescreen VS Full Screen

2008-08-10T20:41:00.001+05:30

Or: Why "This movie had been formatted to fit your screen" is the most evil phrase in home movies.

I know this doesn't directly apply to drive-ins, but as a movie fan, I thought this needed to be explained. Many times while in the video store, I hear people talking about getting the "Full Screen" version of a movie because they didn't like the "black bars" at the top and bottom of the screen. What many people don't realize is that the black bars aren't covering anything because there wasn't anything there to begin with.

Next time you go to the movies, take a look at the size and shape of the theater screen. With most indoor and outdoor theaters, the screen is significantly wider than it is tall. Then take a look at your TV. If you notice that while it is also rectangular, it is nowhere near as wide as the theater screen is (relative to its height).

Typical theater screen (some may vary)

The typical TV (except for WIDESCREEN TV's)

To make another comparison, the following pictures are taken from the movie Mad Max. The images show the difference between WIDESCREEN / LETTERBOX compared to FULLSCREEN / PAN and SCAN.

This is the movie in WIDESCREEN format

This is the movie in FULLSCREEN format

As you can see, not everybody is visible in the FULLSCREEN version of the movie. By expanding the image to fill the screen, unfortunately the sides of the image are cut off. On average, about 30% of the picture is cut off on the sides, especially on movies filmed in 2.35:1 format. Movies like Star Wars and Mad Max are filmed in 2.35:1 format.

What that means is that the movie is 2.35 times wider than it is tall. Your TV is more like 1.33:1 or 1.33 times wider than it is tall.

After showing the differences, wouldn't you rather buy the whole movie instead of only 66% of it?

What to look for when buying videos (Laser Disc, DVD, or VHS):

Widescreen

Letterbox

Enhanced for Widescreen TVs

16:9

2.35:1

1.85:1

What to avoid when buying videos (Laser Disc, DVD, or VHS):

Fullscreen

Pan and Scan

1.33:1

Formatted to fit your screen.

Note: Many early movies were never filmed in a widescreen format. Examples are "Gone with the Wind" and "Wizard of Oz". Back then, the theater screens were not as wide as they are today, so the movies were never filmed any wider than that.

15 Awesome Tutorial Websites You Probably Don't Know About

2008-07-12T10:53:00.001+05:30

If I were forced to choose an aspect of the internet that made it simply indispensable, it would definitely be its availability as a huge learning resource. 20 years ago, who would have thought that one would have easy access to already completed business documents, research papers of world class universities, free encyclopedias and some great books, no matter where he or she is located in the world.

The internet also boasts of accommodating tutorials to absolutely anything. Here are 15 such super-useful sites which aim to provide you with all the tutorials you'd ever need.
How Stuff Works
How Stuff Works is probably the best known How-to tutorials site. It has has a vast and diverse collection with topics ranging from food, health, computers, etc. One of the best things about this site is that it explains even the toughest tutorial in a very simple and easy to understand language.

YouTube
Surprised? Well, it shouldn't be if you use YouTube a lot. Yesterday my younger brother bought a new guitar and the very first thing he needed to do was to tune it. So he just logged on, went to youtube.com and searched for "How to tune a guitar". And there you go! He had a nice video explaining the process step-by-step.

eHow
eHow is another comprehensive tutorials website with detailed instructions on how to do just about anything. Like How Stuff Works, this site also covers a wide range of topics.

About.com's Video Tutorials
About.com's video tutorial site has a collection of very informative how-to videos and screencasts on topics which include Parenting, Style, Electronics and Gadgets, etc. I found the collection to be very comprehensive and probably better than You Tube's collection of similar videos.

wikiHow
wikiHow, as it says, is an editable How-to site with 40,100 articles contributed by volunteers from different parts of the world. You're sure to find some nice tutorials here too.

Instructables
Instructables is a cool Do-It-Yourself site that has an extensive collection of user submitted how-to articles and easy instructions complete with videos and photographs. It's a community driven website where you can submit content, vote and comment on existing content.

Wired's How-To Wiki
Wired magazine's how-to wiki has some very elaborate and detailed tutorials focussed primarily on topics like Gadgets, Technology and Computers. You can also subscribe to its RSS feed to get them the new how-to articles directly in your feed reader.

PC World's How-to Site
PC World, one of the best tech journals available, also has a how to site that publishes technology focused tutorials related to various electronic gadgets, hardware and software applications.

VideoJug
When it comes to how-to video tutorial sites, VideoJug is probably the largest and most comprehensive. It has videos on varied subjects like choosing a new hairstyle, playing golf, installing windows or how to kiss someone passionately.

W3Schools
W3Schools is a first class web development tutorials website which provides easy reference guides on languages like HTML, XHTML, CSS, PHP and JavaScript. All the tutorials are free and nicely explained through various examples.

NETTUTS And PSDTUTS
NETTUTS and PSDTUTS are sister sites, in fact blogs, and definitely one of the best online resources on web development and Photoshop skills. NETTUTS explores web development and designing in detail while PSDTUTS provides some world-class Adobe Photoshop tutorials.

5min
5min is a video tutorial site with a difference- the videos are short and no more than 5 mins. Like other video sites, this too covers a wide range of topics, however it's yet to take on sites like VideoJug in the online video tutorial space.

SuTree
Sutree aggregates the best video tutorials from other video sites and covers a variety of topics like softwares, games, pets & animals etc. Like instructables, SuTree is also a community driven website and lets you find videos through tags and subscribe to the RSS feed of the site.

VTC
Although VTC is not entirely free to use, it does provide some nice tutorials on software and business applications. Out of around 66,000 tutorials, it provides 12,500 for free.

Good Tutorials
Good Tutorials has a nice collection of graphic design tutorials which it aggregates through various web design sites and blogs. And yes, it's free to use !
So overall, with the exception of VTC, all the other sites are completely free and can certainly fetch you any tutorial you can ever imagine. Hope you enjoy using them. :)

File Attributes

2008-06-30T22:21:00.001+05:30

Each file is stored in a directory, and uses a directory entry that describes its characteristics such as its name and size. The directory entry also contains a pointer to where the file is stored on disk. One of the characteristics stored for each file is a set of file attributes that give the operating system and application software more information about the file and how it is intended to be used.

The use of attributes is "voluntary". What this means is that any software program can look in the directory entry to discern the attributes of a file, and based on them, make intelligent decisions about how to treat the file. For example, a file management program's delete utility, seeing a file marked as a read-only system file, would be well-advised to at least warn the user before deleting it. However, it doesn't have to. Any programmer that knows what it is doing can override the attributes of a file, and certainly, the writers of viruses do this as a matter of course!

That said, most operating systems assign definite meanings to the attributes stored for files, and will alter their behavior according to what they see. If at a DOS prompt you type "DIR" to list the files in the directory, by default you will not see any files that have the "hidden" attribute set. You have to type "DIR /AH" to see the hidden files.

A file can have more than one attribute attached to it, although only certain combinations really make any sense. The attributes are stored in a single byte, with each bit of the byte representing a specific attribute (actually, only six bits are used of the eight in the byte). Each bit that is set to a one means that the file has that attribute turned on. (These are sometimes called attribute bits or attribute flags). This method is a common way that a bunch of "yes/no" parameters are stored in computers to save space. The following are the attributes and the bits they use in the attribute byte:

Attribute	Bit Code
Read-Only	00000001
Hidden	00000010
System	00000100
Volume Label	00001000
Directory	00010000
Archive	00100000

The attribute bits are summed to form the attribute byte. So, the attribute byte for a hidden, read-only directory would be 00010011, which is simply the codes for those three attributes from the table above, added together. Here is a more detailed description of what these attributes mean (or more accurately, how they are normally used). Note that each of the attributes below apply equally to files and directories (except for the directory attribute of course!):

Read-Only: Most software, when seeing a file marked read-only, will refuse to delete or modify it. This is pretty straight-forward. For example, DOS will say "Access denied" if you try to delete a read-only file. On the other hand, Windows Explorer will happily munch it. Some will choose the middle ground: they will let you modify or delete the file, but only after asking for confirmation.
Hidden: This one is pretty self-explanatory as well; if the file is marked hidden then under normal circumstances it is hidden from view. DOS will not display the file when you type "DIR" unless a special flag is used, as shown in the earlier example.
System: This flag is used to tag important files that are used by the system and should not be altered or removed from the disk. In essence, this is like a "more serious" read-only flag and is for the most part treated in this manner.
Volume Label: Every disk volume can be assigned an identifying label, either when it is formatted, or later through various tools such as the DOS command "LABEL". The volume label is stored in the root directory as a file entry with the label attribute set.
Directory: This is the bit that differentiates between entries that describe files and those that describe subdirectories within the current directory. In theory you can convert a file to a directory by changing this bit. Of course in practice, trying to do this would result in a mess--the entry for a directory has to be in a specific format.
Archive: This is a special bit that is used as a "communications link" between software applications that modify files, and those that are used for backup. Most backup software allows the user to do an incremental backup, which only selects for backup any files that have changed since the last backup. This bit is used for this purpose. When the backup software backs up ("archives") the file, it clears the archive bit (makes it zero). Any software that modifies the file subsequently, is supposed to set the archive bit. Then, the next time that the backup software is run, it knows by looking at the archive bits which files have been modified, and therefore which need to be backed up. Again, this use of the bit is "voluntary"; the backup software relies on other software to use the archive bit properly; some programs could modify the file without setting the archive attribute, but fortunately most software is "well-behaved" and uses the bit properly. Still, you should not rely on this mechanism absolutely to ensure that your critical files are backed up.

Other's version available

2008-06-25T22:36:00.001+05:30

RTM or RTW

The term "release to manufacturing" (RTM) is used by Microsoft and others to indicate when the production version has been sent to a product manufacturer, in preparation for physical distribution (e.g., DVDs/CDs in retail boxes). RTM can also refer to online distribution, though the term "release to Web" (RTW) is usually used in this context. Typically, RTM happens weeks or months before a public release because of the time needed to produce boxed copies of the product and send them through retail distribution channels.

GA

General Availibility (GA) is used as a synonym for release to manufacturing.

Box copy

A box copy is a physical version of the final product, printed on a disc that is complete with disc graphic art. This term is used mostly by reviewers to differentiate from other forms of the released product (e.g., a downloaded copy). A box copy does not necessarily come enclosed in a box; it refers to the disc itself.

Stable or unstable

In open source programming, version numbers or the terms stable and unstable commonly distinguish the stage of development. The term stable refers to a version of software that is substantially identical to a version that has been through enough real-world testing to reasonably assume there are no showstopper problems, or at least that any problems are known and documented. On the other hand, the term unstable does not necessarily mean that there are problems - rather, that enhancements or changes have been made to the software that have not undergone rigorous testing and that more changes are expected to be imminent. Users of such software are advised to use the stable version if it meets their needs, and to only use the unstable version if the new functionality is of interest that exceeds the risk that something might simply not work right.

In the Linux kernel, version numbers are composed of three numbers, separated by a period. Between versions 1.0.0 and 2.6.x, stable releases had an even second number and unstable release an odd one. As of Linux 2.6.x, the even or odd status of the second number no longer holds any significance. The practice of using even and odd numbers to indicate the stability of a release has been used by other open and closed source projects.

32-Bit Computing: What's It All About?

2008-06-25T22:26:00.002+05:30

What Does 32-bit Mean?

A binary digit, or bit, is the smallest unit of data that a computer
can process. All other things being equal, the more bits your computer
can process at the same time, the faster it is.

Most desktop computers manipulate bits in groups of 16 or 32. If you
have two computers whose clock (processing) speed is identical, and one
processes 32 bits at a time while the other processes 16, the 32-bit
computer will be about twice as fast.

Advantages

One advantage of 32-bit systems is speedier processing for resource-
hungry applications such as math packages, graphics and publishing
programs, and network operations.

In addition, when a machine's internal addressing scheme uses 32
bits, it can address much larger amounts of memory and hard disk space.

Yet another advantage of 32-bit systems is faster multitasking, where
two or more applications run at the same time. An operating system
performs multi-tasking by sending different parts of many tasks to the
CPU at different times. Of course, the faster the system, the less
likely it is that the user will notice what's going on behind the
scenes.

what is Volume License Key (VLK)?

2008-06-25T22:18:00.001+05:30

Volume License key (VLK) is a term used by some computer software companies to denote the product key used when installing software licensed under volume licensing, which allows a single product key to be used for multiple installations. This form of licensing is typically used in business, government, and educational institutions, with prices for volume licensing varying depending on the type, quantity and applicable subscription term. For example, Microsoft software available through volume licensing programs includes Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Microsoft Office 2007 and many others.

Volume Activation 2.0

Starting with Windows Vista, VLKs have been replaced with Multiple Activation Keys (MAK) or Key Management Server (KMS) keys. MAK Activation may occur independently (by means of connection to Microsoft through internet or telephone activation) or through a proxy using Microsoft's Volume Activation Tool (VAMT). Hosts activated via a KMS have to report back to that key server once every 180 days.

Do you want to see what is going on behind the Windows XP splash screen ?

2008-06-25T22:04:00.001+05:30

Do you want to see what is going on behind the Windows XP and 2000 splash screens? When Windows first starts up it displays a screen with the Windows logo known as the splash screen. To see what is going one behind it use notepad to edit the C:\boot.ini file (to see the file listed, you may need to set your Windows Explorer, Tools, Folder Options, View to see hidden files and folders, and to unhide protected system files). You'll see a line that looks similar to this:

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional" /fastdetect

Add a space and /SOS to the end of the line so it looks like this:

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional" /fastdetect /SOS

The boot.ini file can also be edited in Windows XP by right-clicking My Computer, Properties, Advanced, Startup and Recovery, Edit.

what is OEM ?

2008-06-25T22:02:00.002+05:30

What is OEM ?

OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer. OEM software is sold by the software creator to a hardware manufacturer. For example, Microsoft will sell OEM versions of Windows and Office to companies like Dell or Gateway, at volume discounts. Dell and Gateway are then able to sell you the PC, complete with software, at a reasonable price. If you bought a PC from one of these companies, chances are that in the box, you found a handful of CD-ROMs with all kinds of software on them. No manuals, no instructions - just the CDs. These CDs are OEM software.

Sometimes, people and/or companies will not use the OEM software that came with their computer, and so they decide to sell the software, usually very inexpensively. If you need the software, it's a great way to save tens or hundreds of dollars off of the retail, boxed version you would buy in the store.

There ARE restrictions, however. Some OEM software comes with a restrictive license that says it can only be used with the hardware it originally came with. So, if you got an OEM version of CD-burning software, the license may restrict you to using the software ONLY with the CD-burner that came with your PC. These licenses, while restrictive, are also unusual.

There are two types of OEM when it comes to operating systems. The first is when a pre-built computer is purchased, there is an OEM disk that comes with the system, which can not be transferred to any other system, because that disk is designed to run only with the specific system components. The second type of OEM operating system is one that can be purchased, and that can be transferred to any other system, without the dependence on the systems components. The main difference between the two is that one is only meant for that specific system, and the other can be used on any system.

Academically priced software OR student editions is a software package offered to students and teachers at a substantially discounted price compared to the software's retail price. "Academic Discounts" or "Education Discounts" allow students and teachers alike the opportunity to own the software they need at much more affordable costs. The discount varies and can be as high as 80-90 %.

Academically priced software benefits the student by allowing them to become familiar with the technology prior to using it in a for-profit setting, and benefits the software company because students who use their software while they are in school tend to favor the same software they used in school, when they enter the working world.

Academically priced software is generally identical to the commercial version of the software, except that academically priced software is typically not licensed for commercial or for profit use (i.e. it can only be used in an academic setting). Engineering software will often print with a watermark around the border of a page, noting that the software is for "Education Use Only."

Academically priced software packages can come with little or no printed instruction manual, with the understanding that students using the software will be taught how to use it by professional instructors, and therefore have less need for a printed manual. This provides a cost savings for the manufacturer, who can then pass the savings on to the student. An electronic manual is typically provided in lieu of a printed manual.

Academically priced software is sometimes not eligible for upgrade and crossgrade discounts, though in many instances there are upgrades to the commercial version available as well.

Top 10 Linux financial tools

2008-06-25T12:11:00.001+05:30

Many people don't realize the wealth of applications available for Linux — and that includes financial software. Jack Wallen introduces 10 Linux apps that will meet your financial needs, whether you just want a digital replacement for your checkbook or you're looking for a full-blown accounting package for your organization.

Many people don't realize the wealth of applications that are available for Linux. I am asked all the time about X and/or Y application on Windows and whether there's an equivalent on Linux. Most of the time the answer is yes.

The arena of finance is no exception. Plenty of outstanding financial applications are available for the Linux operating system. From personal finance to business finance, there is an application for nearly every need. Let's take a look at the top Linux financial applications.

#1: Gnucash

I start off with this application simply because it's my financial application of choice. Gnucash is released under the GPL so it is fully open sourced and is available for Linux, BSD, Solaris, OS X, and Windows. Gnucash features double-entry accounting, stock/bond/mutual fund accounts, small-business accounting, customer/vendor/job invoicing, QIF/OFX/HBCI Import/Transaction matching, reports/graphs, scheduled transactions, and financial calculations. Gnucash is incredibly easy to use and handles multiple accounts. Importing QIF files is simple, and entering transactions is intuitive. Gnucash can export to TXF format for tax preparation programs.

#2: KMyMoney

This is a finance application often included in KDE. KMyMoney has a user-interface similar to Quicken. In fact, those familiar with Quicken will find themselves right at home with KMyMoney. The biggest difference between KMyMoney and Quicken is that KMyMoney can't communicate directly with financial institutions. You can import QIF and Gnucash data, but the only format that can be exported is QIF. KMyMoney is also licensed under the GPL.

#3: Moneydance

Moneydance is proprietary software that's available for Linux, OS X, and Windows. Moneydance is one of the more fully featured financial applications available for Linux and includes such features as online banking and bill payment, budget management, scheduled/recurring payments, portfolio tracking, report generation, Quicken and Money data importation, encryption, and international support. Moneydance does require Java. Fortunately, there are versions of Moneydance that come prepackaged with Java, so those who are a bit weary of the task of installing Java (especially on a Linux machine) don't have to worry. The interface is very intuitive. Moneydance costs $39.99 per license. There is no corporate or individual licensing.

#4: Appgen MyBooks

If you're looking for commercial or accounting level software, this might be just what you need. Written for Linux (Linspire, to be exact), OS X, and Windows, this software package is double-entry and fully audited and conforms to the standards of GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles.) MyBooks can be purchased as a single-user license, two-user license, and 10-user license. It can be set up as a single system or as a client/server network system. A free trial version of MyBooks is available. This package also handles inventory (including perpetual inventory), service-based businesses, charting, statements, batch entries, ODBC, and vouchers.

#5: Nolapro

Don't let the free price tag of Nolapro fool you. This is for serious business. Although not open source, this package is free to use in any size environment and handles everything from inventory, accounts receivable, general ledger, POS, vendors, customers, B2B, online shopping cart, and payroll. Nolapro does require a database installation, but other than that, installation is simple. Nolapro is designed to be a network installation so the server can be accessed by multiple clients via browser. The license is unlimited users, unlimited companies, and unlimited books. For personal finance, you might want to skip Nolapro — its feature list will probably overwhelm you.

#6: Linux Business Accounting Systems BasicBooks

Linux Business Accounting Systems offers BasicBooks General Ledger for Linux. This application features complete financial reporting, support for all decimal-denominated currency, and unlimited transactions. BasicBooks uses the PostgreSQL database and is easy to use and learn. One of the nicest features of this package is that transaction databases can be loaded into spreadsheets for report creation. System requirements are low (Linux OS with GTK+ library and PostgreSQL; the program requires only 373K bytes). BasicBooks costs $20 per CPU and is available in binary package form (for RedHat, Fedora, SuSe, Ubuntu, Vector, and others), which includes the user reference manual.

#7: Quasar Accounting

This particular package is part of a full-fledged POS package that can be run as stand-alone accounting software. Quasar is not open source (although a purchased commercial license provides full access to the source code) and is available for Linux and Windows. Features include international support, outstanding GUI, simple data entry, error correction, backup/restore, online help, multi-company support, data import, mailing labels, user-level security, chart of accounts, statement printing, journal entries, customer quotes, sales orders, invoicing, multiple taxes, discounting, price management, accounts receivable, and cash reconciliation. You can download an evaluation version. A free single-computer edition is also available.

#8: SQL-Ledger

This is one of the oldest Linux accounting/ERP systems. SQL-Ledger is a double-entry accounting system that has an amazing list of features, such as accounts receivable, accounts payable, voucher system, general ledger, inventory control, billing, time cards, POS, check printing, purchase/sales orders, taxes, multi-user/company, audit control, SQL server backend, templates, customers, vendors, chart of accounts, and financial statements. SQL-Ledger is often considered the "best of" for Linux accounting. Obviously, this is another package that's far more than a financial tool. Someone looking for single-user financial software might want to look elsewhere. But if you need a small to midsize financial solution, you should look here first.

#9: Rapid Graphing Software for Technical Analysis of Stocks and Commodities

If you don't have or follow stocks/stock portfolios, you won't know what Rapid is for. Features include candlesticks, OBV, moving averages, Macd, Stochastics, RSI, Wilder DMI, Fibonacci, and Slope. Rapid will import text data and includes multiple journals that allow you to record your trades, graph trading performance and calculate totals for tax purposes. The Linux version of Rapid can print and share charts over the Net. Rapid is free to use and simple to install.

#10: Crossover Office

Those of you who can't live without Quicken or Money can always use Crossover Office and install either of those applications. You will have to pay for both pieces of software, but if you need Quicken's (or Money's) features, you're in luck.

Linux can handle nearly every financial need you can think of. Whether you're a single user wanting a simple digital replacement for your checkbook or a company looking for a full-blown accounting package, Linux has you covered.

Clean your computer

2008-06-25T11:53:00.003+05:30

I have a dirty secret. I've never cleaned my computer. Sure, I've dusted my monitor, but I haven't taken off the cover or tried to reach the crumbs lurking inside my keyboard.

"Your computer could fry if you don't keep it clean," says Jonathon Millman, chief technology officer for Hooplah Interactive.

Dust clogs the vents behind your computer, which causes your CPU to heat up—and heat is the biggest cause of component failure in computers. Regular cleaning could save you costly maintenance fees down the road.

Keep your computer in tip-top shape by following Millman's guide to a spotless computer system.

Preparation

You'll need:
• screwdriver
• can of compressed air (available from computer dealers or office-supply stores)
• cotton swabs (do not use a cotton ball)
• rubbing alcohol
• paper towels or anti-static cloths
• water

Always turn your computer off before you begin and unplug all the cords.

Step 1: Inside the case

Using a screwdriver, remove the side of the case that's opposite your motherboard. Touch as little as possible inside the computer, keeping fingers away from cards and cords.

Blow air around all of the components and along the bottom of the case, keeping the nozzle four inches away from the machine. Blow air into the power supply box and into the fan (from the back of the case). Lastly, blow air into the floppy disk and CD drives. Wipe the inside of the cover with a lightly moistened cloth before replacing it.

Millman recommends doing this every three months if your case sits on the floor, if you have pets that shed, or if you smoke. Otherwise, every six to eight months is fine.

Step 2: Outside the case

Run a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol around all of the openings on the back of your case. Give them one swipe with the damp end of the swab and one swipe with the dry end. Do this as often as you clean the inside of your computer.

Step 3: Keyboard

Turn the keyboard upside down and gently shake it. Most of the crumbs and dust will fall out. Take a can of compressed air and blow into and around the keys. Next, take a cotton swab and dip it in rubbing alcohol. It should be damp, but not wet. Run the cotton swab around the outside of the keys. Rub the tops of the keys. If you have a laptop, follow the same procedure but take extra care with your machine. Do this monthly.

Spills — If you have kids, you're worried about spills. If it happens, disconnect the keyboard immediately and flip it over. Blot the top with a paper towel, blow compressed air between the keys and leave it to air dry overnight. For laptops, liquid can easily penetrate the hard drive so turn the computer over immediately and leave it in that position until it dries.

Step 4: Mouse

Rub the top and bottom of your mouse with a paper towel dipped in rubbing alcohol. Open the back and remove the ball. Wash the ball with water and let it air dry. To clean inside the mouse, dip a cotton swab in rubbing alcohol and rub all of the components. Scrape hard-to-remove grime with your fingernail. Finally, blow air into the opening. Replace the ball and the cover. Do this monthly.

Step 5: Monitor

Moisten a paper towel or a soft, lint-free cloth with water. (You can also buy monitor cleaning products at computer-supply stores.) Don't spray liquid directly onto the screen—spray the cloth instead. Wipe the screen gently to remove dust and fingerprints. Never touch the back of the monitor.

For laptop screens, Millman suggests buying a special cleaning solution available at computer stores. Do this weekly.

Finally, make sure that everything is dry before you plug your computer back in.

What are Passwords?

2008-03-19T21:51:00.001+05:30

Passwords are strings of characters used to authenticate computer system users.

Computer users are normally asked to enter their username (or login name) and their password (or pass phrase) before they are give access to a system.

If the person knows the username and the password, the computer systems trusts that they are the account owner and grants them access to their data.

Selecting a good password

Choosing a good password is critical for personal security, requiring password crackers to take additional time and resources to get access to your personal information and computer credentials. A poor password creates a false sense of security, and may endanger your personal information, access to computer resources, or even allow another individual to spawn attacks and viruses using your personal credentials.

Password Construction

Password crackers have many tools at their disposal to cut down the amount of time it takes to crack your password. Selecting a secure password will help to ensure that the password cracker must take as much time as possible to guess or otherwise identify your password. No password is ultimately secure, but if it takes the password cracker longer to crack the password than it takes for the password to become useless, you will have succeeded in thwarting the cracker's attack.

Insecure methods

Passwords should not be created using personal information about yourself or your family. A password cracker with incentive to break your personal password will use this information first, making these passwords the least secure passwords. Examples of bad passwords of this type are: your name, birthplace, nickname, family name, names of pets, street address, parents names, names of siblings and the like.
Passwords should not be formed of words out of any dictionary or book. Longer words do not generally add much protection. Using known words in any language allows the password cracker to take shortcuts in his password cracking schemes, allowing him to guess your password in a very small fraction of the time it would take otherwise. Examples of bad passwords of this type are: dragon, secret, cheese, god, love, sex, life and similar words.
Passwords should not be composed of proper nouns of places, ideas, or people. These words are commonly found in password cracker databases. Examples are: Jehovah, Tylenol, edutainment, Coolio, beesknees, transformers.
Passwords should not be simple variations of words. Although these passwords don't appear in a book or dictionary, it is a simple matter to generate a replacement word list automatically. These passwords are more secure than the above two examples, but not significantly more secure. Examples of passwords of this type are drowssap, l0ve, s3cr3t, dr@gon, and similar word-like terms.
Passwords should not be a concatenation of two words commonly following each other in a sentence. These passwords are more secure than the above password concepts, but still fall far short for password security. Examples of these kinds of passwords are: whatfor, divineright, bigpig, ilove, farfetched, catspajamas.
Do not reuse recently employed passwords again. If you find it difficult to pick a new password, you should wait until you changed you password at least 5 times before reusing an old password, or 12 months if password changes are common.

Secure methods

Always change your password immediately if you feel that your password has been compromised. Always do this directly. Never follow links sent to you in email, through an instant messenger client, or from a phone call you received. Ask for administrative assistance if you have trouble changing your password.
Do not write your password down where others may find it. If you must write it down, ensure it is in a locked location that is only accessible to you. Hiding your password in places you feel it is unlikely to be found is not helpful. Password crackers have a criminal mind, and generally know where to look.
It is important that you change your password on a regular schedule, at least every six months. This assists you by throwing off any cracking efforts that might be in progress, but have not yet been completed. It also helps you if somehow you have compromised your password in some other way without knowing it.
Select passwords that use a mixture of capital letters, numbers, and special characters. Take heed however, some systems do not allow you to use some or any special characters. Make sure you check the password criteria for the system you are using ahead of time, if possible.
Use substitution of numbers for letters and letters for numbers in your passwords. Although this is not a primary method of securing your password, it will add another layer of security on top of a good password, and will prevent the accidental guess of your password due to circumstances.
Where it is not possible to use many characters in your password (less than 14), it is advisable to create a password by creating a passphrase, and selecting letters in a specific position in each word. An example of this is "jJjshnImn2". As you notice, it's unlikely that any cracker would guess this password; however, it is easy to remember when you note the passphrase "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt, his name is my name too". Notice the use of number substitution and capitalization in the password.
The best passwords are complete phrases if the system will allow them. They are sometimes called "passphrases" in reflection of this. For example, a good passphrase might be "I clean my Glock in the dishwasher." You can also use number and letter substitution on passphrases as well. Longer passphrases generally mean better password security.

Password Secrecy

Passwords are useless if they are distributed to other than to their intended users. Below is a list of methods to keep your passwords private.

If you have a large number of passwords to remember, or you don't feel you can remember important ones, you can use your computer to assist you in the storage of passwords. You can encrypt your password list with an acceptable master password using reliable encryption software. Many password managers are available for this purpose. For experienced users Gnu Privacy Guard and Pretty Good Privacy are free for individual use. Ensure you know how to use encryption properly; improper use of encryption technologies may defeat the whole purpose of using encryption in the first place. Seek help from an encryption expert, or purchase commercial encryption software if understanding is not forthcoming. Do not store your encrypted passwords, or your encryption keys, somewhere that another person may gain access to them.
Refrain from using the same password on multiple systems, especially systems that do not serve the same function. Never use passwords you use on Internet forums, games, websites, or otherwise for any important password. It is trivial for the owners of these systems to extract your passwords if they are willing.
Never tell another a password through e-mail, instant messenger clients, chat rooms, forums or other shared environments. These conversations are almost never entirely private. Do not tell someone your passwords over a cell phone or cordless telephone, as these are insecure mediums for conversation, and may easily be monitored. If you must tell someone a password over a telephone land line, make sure the party you are speaking with is the only listener. You may want to validate that additional parties are not listening in by calling the original party on a number you know is owned by them.
Do not use shared passwords unless it is entirely unavoidable. Passwords shared between multiple users prevents the determination of which user performed which actions.
Of course, never tell your passwords to anyone. Once you tell someone else your password, you no longer have control over the scope of password knowledge. If you absolutely must share your account access to a computer system, change the password to a new password first before sharing it, and then change the password back to its original form once the other users are done performing the necessary efforts.

Two-Factor Authentication

The original password concept has been proven to be insecure. There have been cases where passwords have been compromised without a users knowledge, through coersion, or because they were conned into revealing it. The core problem with legacy passwords is that it is very difficult or impossible for an administrator or a computer system to differentiate between a legitimate user and illegitimate user gaining access through the same password. Because of this inherent flaw in the original password system, Two Factor Authentication was invented.

A password is "something you know." This information is understood to be known by a single individual. Two-factor authentication systems add in another factor, "something you have", electronic card key, electronic token, dongle, fob or some other physical item you keep in a secure place when not in use. A common stand in replacement for this second factor when higher levels of security are needed is "something you are". A biological fingerprint, retina pattern, person's weight, specific vital signs or a combination of these items is used in place of the electronic device. The biological factor for authentication and authorization has been found to be unreliable, but not in that it permits those that should not be permitted when used properly, but because there is a tendency for it to deny legitimate users access due to sickness, physical body changes, or other physical impairments.

There are two common methods of authentication when users use electronic components for two-factor authentication, response-only, and challenge-response systems.

Response-only systems require a user to present your electronic device to an electronic reading system, or for you to enter data displayed on the electronic device without user input. The user must provide a username or pin that is not known to outsiders, and then enter specific credential data generated by the electronic device when prompted. In many cases, this mechanism returns the user back to a single factor authentication, where the user does not need to know something, but just posseses the item in question. An example of this is the standard electronic card key used to enter a facility or building perimiter. The user need not provide any other factor to prove their identity.

Challenge-response systems require the user to enter a specific passphrase or pin into the electronic device first, before the device responds with the proper access credentials data. This varient is always considered two-factor authentication, since the user must provide both "something they know" (the pin), and use "something they have" (the electronic device).

Both the response-only and challenge-response systems can be defeated if the user both reveals the private information they keep secret, such as their username or pin code, and the attacker takes ownership of the electronic device. Due to this weakness, the bioligcal factor was invented.

Biological factors have been in use for several decades, and have proven to be reliable and secure ways to prevent unauthorized users from gaining access to secure systems or environments, regardless of the privacy of their passwords used. Systems monitor fingerprints, eye retina patterns, weight, ambient temperature, and other biological signs to determine the authenticity of the user requesting access. Movies have been touting methods of defeating these systems by cutting off body parts, using retinal masks, or forcing legitimate users into bypassing the authentication mechanisms for the attacker. These are largely Hollywood schemes and rarely work in the real world. In most cases where this level of security is required, local or remote monitoring of entry points through cameras and security personnell is common. Deadlock portals, remote activated magnetically controlled entranceways, and visual idenfitication are the norm.

Many simple methods have been devised to defeat weakly designed biological factor systems, so be sure you thoroughly test the security measures you plan to put in place before implementation.

4 Things You Never Knew Your Mobile Phone Could Do

2008-02-20T23:28:00.000+05:30

There are a few things that can be done in times of grave emergencies. Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival. Check out the things that you can do with it:

1. Emergency

The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile; network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Try it out.

Also in Australia , the Australian emergency number 000 can be dialled whilst your mobile phone keyboard is locked. This is another reason why 000 receives so many false emergency calls!

2. Have you locked your keys in the car?

Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone: If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their mobile phone from your cell phone.

Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has the other "remote" for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).

Editors Note: It works fine! We tried it out and it unlocked our car over a mobile phone!"

3. Hidden Battery Power

Imagine your mobile battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370# Your mobile will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your mobile next time.

4. How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?

To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following digits on your phone!:

star-hash-zero-six-hash

* # 0 6 #

A 15 digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. When your phone get stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can't use/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones.

Not only the above, but also in Australia your stolen phone is added to a "Stolen Mobile Phone" database, so if your phone is found later on it can be returned to you.

How to do a Vertical Search in Google easily?

2008-02-19T19:37:00.000+05:30

Instead of searching for a term across all pages on the web, search within a specialized field. Google has a number of specific searches, allowing you to search within blogs, news, books, and much more.

Click on the relevant links below to do a Vertical Search using Google in the following areas:

Book Search
Blog Search
Catalogs
Code Search
Directory
Finance
Images
Local/Maps
News
Product Search
Scholar
Video

Few ways to make Google more useful

2008-02-19T19:36:00.000+05:30

Browsing the Web Using Google Cache

Google Cache is a great solution if a web page is down. If you're visiting a site and it returns a "404 error message", you can try to do a search on Google for that site adding the cache: operator, e.g. cache:www.google.com.

Check Spelling Frequency with Google

This is a quick and easy way to check the relative frequency of spellings. Query for a particular spelling, making note of the number of results. Then click on Google's suggested spelling and note the number of results. It's surprising how close the counts are sometimes, indicating an oft-misspelled word or phrase.

Translate a Single Word

Translate a single word Google Translate has added a nifty new twist: dictionary translations. For instance, say you're looking for ways to say "drive" en Francais; you can plug it into Google Translate and figure out that there are different ways to use drive, depending on the context.

Phone Number Geolocator (USA & Canada only)

Google Maps mashup Phone Number Geolocator takes the first six digits of a phone number (the area code plus 3) and gives you a close approximation of that number's origin on a Google map. Google has been helping us locate area codes for a while now, but some area codes cover pretty large areas. The NPA-NXX Geolocator goes one step further and narrows the location down to a more specific and accurate estimation.

Now you can easily Configure Outlook 2007 to access Gmail using IMAP

2008-02-19T19:34:00.000+05:30

If you'd like to access your Gmail Account from a mail client like Outlook 2007 and not from the gmail website then you have some news to cheerish on - Google has finally implemented IMAP support in Gmail! So you can now easily control the messages in your gmail account straight from your desktop.

For those of you who don't know what IMAP is all about - IMAP actually stands for Internet Message Access Protocol. It creates a permanent connection between your computer and the Mail Server (your Gmail account). The main advantage is that every time you delete a message using your client it is also automatically removed from the web server (Your Gmail account). The other cool thing is that you can use most of the Gmail features such as 'Report as spam' and even 'Star' special messages straight from Outlook (or other email client) with all the actions getting automatically applied on your account.

The list of Clients that Gmail's IMAP is compatible with are:
Outlook Express (on Windows)
Outlook 2003 (on Windows)
Outlook 2007 (on Windows)
Apple Mail
Windows Mail
Thunderbird 2.0

To check whether the IMAP function was already implemented into your account or not, login using your username and password, click on 'Settings' and go over to 'Forwarding and POP/IMAP'. In case the IMAP function is not already there for you, the tab is named only 'Forwarding and POP'.

To enable IMAP in your Gmail account:

1. Log in to your Gmail account.

2. Click Settings at the top of any Gmail page.

3. Click Forwarding and POP/IMAP.

4. Select Enable IMAP.

5. Click Save Changes.

What is the difference between Gmail.com and GoogleMail.com?

2008-02-19T19:32:00.000+05:30

I have seen a few people with an e-mail address as Googlemail instead of Gmail - This made me curious. But when I tried to visit the website www.Googlemail.com, I was re-directed to www.Gmail.com . So what's the difference? Theoretically, the names differ, but practically they're the same. This discovery led me research further and this is what the explanation seems to be.

Googlemail is not different; it is the mail solution trademark for certain countries where the Gmail domain wasn't available. Let's have a quick test. Open you email account, other than the one provided by Google, let's say Yahoo. Login to yourID@yahoo.com and send a mail to your Gmail/Googlemail account but instead of your domain, write the other name (Gmail for Googlemail and vice versa). Check your Google account. The mail is here, isn't it? That's why I'm saying they are the same, so stop requesting a different domain.

As you know, Gmail is the mail solution provided by Google and released in 2004. Since the official launch of the product, it was till recently available only by invitation, no free registration being allowed. Starting with February 2007, the search giant decided to make it a public beta and made it available for free for all Internet users. Although it was only a private product, Gmail managed to gather a huge number of clients because every user was able to send no more than 100 invites to his friends.

When Gmail was released, Google described the service as the mail solution with the largest file storage size, offering approximately 1 GB. Then, it evolved and received a lot of new features and functions, all of them included in the freeware product available today. Now, Gmail is regarded as the most secure mail service because it is able to filter the spam messages sent from any address. Keep rocking Google!!

How to easily calculate Income tax slab for financial year 2007 - 2008 in India?

2008-02-19T19:27:00.002+05:30

Below is all the information for you to easily calculate Income tax slab for financial year 2007-2008 assessment year 2008-2009 as per the Indian Income Tax Department publications.

Taxable income slab (Rs.) Rate (%)
1,10,000 (individuals other than women/senior citizens) NIL
1,45,000 (for women) NIL 1,85,000 (for senior citizens) NIL
1,10,001 - 1,50,000 10% 1,50,001 - 2,50,000 20%
2,50,001 upwards 30% 10,00,000 upwards 30%* *
A surcharge of 10% on income tax is levied where taxable income exceeds Rs. 1 million which makes it effective 33% including surcharge

For individuals resident woman {not being a senior citizen (who is of 65 years or more at anytime during the previous year)}

Net income range income tax rate
Upto 145000 nil
145000 to 150000 10% of (TI-145000) + 3% education cess
150000 to 250000 500+20% of (TI-150000) +3% education cess
250000 to 1000000 20500+30% of (TI- 250000) +3% education cess
above 1000000 245500+30%of (TI-1000000) +10% of income tax Surcharge + 3% of income tax and surcharge

For resident senior citizen (who is of 65 years or more at anytime during the previous year)
upto 195000 nil
195001 to 250000 20% of (TI-195000)+3% edu cess
250001 to 1000000 11000+30% of (TI- 250000)+3% edu cess
above 1000000 236000+30% of (TI- 1000000)+10% sc +3% edu cess For any other individual, every HUF/AOP/BOI/Artificial juridical person
upto 110000 nil
110000 to 150000 10%of (TI - 110000)+3% ec
150001 to 250000 4000+20% of (TI-150000)+3% ec
250001 to 1000000 24000+30% of(TI- 250000)+3%ec
above 1000000 249000+30% of (TI-1000000)+10% sc+3%ec*
ec Education Cess*
sc Surcharge*
TI Toal Income

Individuals-other than senior citizens and ladies

Up to 110000- No Tax
110001 to 150000-10%
150001to250000-20%
250001and above-30%

Ladies other than Senior Citizens
Up to 145000-No Tax
145001 to 150000-10%
150001to250000-20%
250001and above-30%

Senior Citizens
Up to 195000-No tax
195001to250000-20%
250001and above-30%
Investment u/s 80C eligible for deduction from income-Rs.100000

How to easily find Definitions at your fingertips using Google

2008-02-19T19:24:00.000+05:30

Looking for specific definitions online has become much much more easy. Whenever you key in a definition, the top search result leads to wikipedia, and there should be an article posted on the query. But what if you need just a two to three line short definition of the word. Well, helps' at hand.Well, Google's glossary search was first launched as a lab project, and it restricts the index to glossaries and other resources such as WordNet and even Wikipedia. To use this option all you need to do is type "define:word," without the quotation marks and the term sought after instead of ‘word’.So if you want to know the definiton of Jason, just type in define:abhishek
Hope this info helps you to better use Google.

Show Command Prompt Window in Full Screen

2008-02-14T15:42:00.000+05:30

Most of us will know how to open Command prompt Windowwhile on Window’s desktop screen. Click on start, click on run, type “cmd” and click on ok. Black command prompt window will come up on the screen. Even with Maximize button at the top of the window, Command Prompt window will at best cover half of the screen.
How to make it cover full screen? Well this is really easy. You can easily open Command prompt windows in full screen that will resemble as if you are working in DOS mode. So here goes steps to make it full screen:
Click on start, run and type “cmd”.
Click on ok and command prompt window will appear.
Now Press Alt & Enter keys at the same time.
Bingo! Command Prompt window will be full screen.
To get out of full screen, press Alt and Enter keys again. Alternatively you can also type “exit” at the command prompt for a swift exit. So when can we use this tip? Well, one can use this if monitor is way too small to see things clearly while working in command prompt.

Configure your computer to Turn OFF Automatically

2008-02-14T15:40:00.002+05:30

Many times computer is sitting idle because one had to attend some phone call or person at the door. This degrades and reduces the ideal working duration of the computer. Also, this results in wastage of power (electricity). You can optimize energy consumption of your computer by using a power management utility.

Another way to optimize and save power is to configure computer to turn OFF automatically. This is possible with the help of a small utility called ‘AMP WinOFF’. This utility is designed to shut down Windows computers automatically, based on number of different configurations.

You can set computer to turn OFF at certain time like 12:00 or make it go OFF after few minutes or hours. This utility works with Windows 9x/Me/NT/2000/XP and has following features:
Shut down the computer when the CPU becomes idle.
Option for hang up the modem instead of doing a shut down.
Option for set a password to protect the access to the configuration.
Option for capture the desktop and/or execute a program before the shut down.
Option for run the program when starting Windows session, for daily shut down.
Immediate shut down and computer lock from the traybar icon menu.
Option for show an alert window, which allow the cancellation of the shut down.

WinOFF Utility: Click here for more info & download

One very good utility to overcome laziness to shut down the computer. Besides saving power, you will also increase working life of your computer by turning it OFF when not required. One utility to serve lot of causes, what say?

5 Ways to Open docx Word Document Files

2008-02-14T15:34:00.000+05:30

New Office & Word application from Microsoft has newer version of format called Docx, which replaces doc format as peviously used. Files with docx format does not open in older office application and only works fine with new version of Office.
Any way to open docx files without installing latest version of Office? Well, there are many way to do so. Following are few online and offline methods/workarounds to read the content of docx format files.
1. Open docx with Older version of Office -If you already have older version of Microsoft Office, then you only need to install compatibility pack over existing install. After this install you will able to read docx files in pre-existing Microsoft Office install - download Microsoft Compatibility Pack
2. Compatibility with Open Office -If you have Open Office installed on your computer, then you need to install Open XML Translator to able to read docx files - download Open XML Translator
3. No Software install, convert files to doc format online -I found this method best to able to read docx files without hassles of installing any software. There are number of online tools to convert docx format into doc.
docx converter
Zamzar
4. Solution for Office installed on Mac - For MS Office install on Macintosh system you need to install Microsoft Office Open XML File Format Converter for Mac - download Open XML File Format Converter
5. Desktop Widget -The Docx-converter Dashboard Widget allows you to convert files right from your Desktop. Simply drag the .docx file you want to convert into the drop area of the widget and the widget will automatically convert the file and save it to the location of the original file - download desktop widget
All the above methods work for docx extension word document files. My favorite is online conversion at Zamzar, it is fast and easy. Best part, you do not have to install any software.

10 Ways to Download Online Videos

2008-02-14T15:33:00.000+05:30

You can save videos or remix them by clipping/appending them or share with friends. Here is the list of services you can use to download and save online videos:
1. YoutubeX:As the name suggests, using this you can download any youtube video. Videos will be saved in FLV format. To play them you need to download and install FLV player, very handy and easy to use video player. You can also convert FLV format file into other formats likes .MPEG using a FLV converter.
In case you want to download and save videos other than those of youtube, then you can use these services: Download MetaCafe Videos, Download Google Videos, Download IFilm Videos, Download MySpace Videos.
2. KeepVid:This online serrvice support number of video sites, huge list there. Also, it showcase top videos on its homepape. In case you do not have any video in mind, simply download those most watched videos and enjoy!
3. Clipnabber:Another easy to use service for downloading online videos. Simple enter the URL of the video that you want to download and then click on ‘Nab Video’. It downloads that videos and renames the file as whatever.flv
4. Vixy: This is a service with difference. Not only you can download the online videos, you can also select the format of the output video. In built converter let you select format of to be downloaded video among MOV, AVI etc.
5. Zamzar:It is one big online file converter service. Besides video file download and conversion you can also perform coversion for images, zip files, audio files, document files etc. Surely can serve to number of file conversion needs.
6. Videoronk:Site gives you list of top videos from Youtube, Metacafe, Dailymotion etc in a very clean format. You can watch those videos or download them.
7. VideoDownloader:This service provide two options. One you use it in traditional way of pasting the url of the video and then downloading it.
Other you can download and install Firefox addon. So, while playing video in Firefox browser hit the icon for the downloader and video will be saved. Simple, isn’t it?
8. DownThisVideo:: First this that you will notice on this website is tag cloud. Good way to find some interesting and cool videos. Besides it also have list of top videos and usual service of downloading videos by pasting the url of the video.
9. kcoolonline: This service supports about 98 videos sites for downloading of online videos. Layout is clean and simple and has the facility to paste the URL of the online video you want to download.
10. MediaConverter:: This service support file conversion and online video download. Seems better suited for Youtube videos. However, you need to create an account before using this service.
Hope above list will be useful in finding the just right service to download your favorite videos. In case you know any other service, please share with me here. In the meantime, enjoy the videos!

Control your Idle status in Gtalk using gAlwaysIdle

2008-02-14T15:31:00.001+05:30

GOOGLE Talk does not provide built-in functionality to allow you to control your idle status. There are times when you want to use messenger and be online, but without letting others know about this. Seems like impossible in Google talk, now made possible by gAlwaysIdle.
As gAlwaysIdle states, “your status is your business so it only makes sense that you should be able to control it”. After installing this small application, you get more options in the menu (see pic) that appears on right click on Google Talk icon.
Always Idle, ‘always idle’ lets you appear away even when you are logged in and doing some work like typing e-mails and sending instant messages etc.
Never Idle, ‘never idle’ lets you appear to be at your computer even when you’re far away.
gAlwaysIdle: Website - Download - Support Forum
gAlwaysIdle is a download-able software program designed to augment the functionality in Google Talk. Specifically, it provides ‘always idle’ and ‘never idle’ features. It’s free to download and contains no spyware or adware, as the maker claims.

3 Steps to clear Temporary Files & speed up Windows

2008-02-14T15:29:00.000+05:30

One should clear all temporary files, folders etc on regular basis for one simple reason ‘they are all temporary’. On practical aspect, removal of temporary stuff allow computer to start faster and improve its overall functioning speed.
If you are battling with slow system startup or frequent freezing then try out following steps. These steps should improve situation at hand. You can perform these steps even if your system is working fine. These are basic hygiene steps to keep computer running in good shape.
1. Prefetch – These are temporary files and should be removed on regular basis. Click on start, click on run. Then type prefetch and click on ok. Select all files by pressing [Ctrl & A keys] and then hit the delete key.
2. Delete system temporary files – Click on start, run. Type %temp% and click on ok. A window with number of files and folders will appear. Select all the files and then delete them. Please note – some files will not be deleted and you may get an error. This happens when you attempt to delete a file currently in use. So ignore those files.
3. Delete Internet Cookies & Files – Most of us are hooked to internet and are lazy enough to keep internet history files and cookies. Make sure you delete all that stuff on regular basis. To delete temporary stuff in Internet Explorer: right click on the IE icon and click on properties. Alternatively, when IE window is open, click on ‘Tools’ option at the top and then click on ‘Internet Options’.
This will bring Internet Properties window up, click on ‘Delete cookies’ button to delete all the cookies. Now click on ‘Delete Files’, check mark option ‘Delete all offline content’ and then click on ok. Lastly click on ‘delete history’ and then click on yes.
To delete delete temporary stuff in Firefox, open Firefox and then click on ‘tools’ option and then click on ‘Clear private data’. Check all the options and click on ‘clear private data now’ button.
Above steps will make you computer breathe easy and run faster. In case system is still slow then get ready for a big plan with sequential steps: run Anti-Virus/spyware scan, Reinstall windows, Upgrade/add more memory and list goes on…

5 Free Anti Spyware Software to protect your PC

2008-02-14T15:28:00.001+05:30

There are number of premium software that provide protection from spyware for a price. However, there also exists some very good FREE options for the same. Here are 5 best free software for protecting your system from spywares.

1. Spybot Search & Destroy - One of the most popular Freeware for protection and remove of spywares. It detects and removes spyware, a relatively new kind of threat. Spybot S&D can also clean usage tracks, an interesting function if you share your computer with other users and don’t want them to see what you have been working on. Also works with Windows Vista operating system. [ website - download ]

2. Windows Defender -This Microsoft software is one of the fastest growing product. It is a free program that helps protect your computer against pop-ups, slow performance, and security threats caused by spyware and other unwanted software. [ website - download ]
3. SpywareBlaster -Another free option for protection from spywares, adware, browser hijackers, and dialers. It also restrict the actions of potentially unwanted sites in Internet Explorer. [ website - download ]

4. Spyware Terminator - This software provides free and comprehensive protection from Spywares, adwares, browser hijackers etc. Spyware Terminator offers the ability to download and install updates automatically. [ website - download ]

5. Ad-Aware -Another popular free option for spyware protection for the system. It detects and removes Trojans, worms, spyware, and other malicious programs. Also, repairs damage left by malware. Also offer free software updates support. [ website - download ]

If you do not have any anti-spyware software installed on your system, make you install one today!